Memories in the Snow
by CrimsonWings87
Summary: As Renata walked home from work in a snowstorm, it reminded her of the night she met her boyfriend, Gilbert. PrussiaxOC, rated T for language and mentions of domestic abuse. The parts italicized are flashbacks...
1. The Party

**Alright, this is my first fanfic ever, so I'm kinda nervous about posting it. I really hope you like it. The parts that are italicized are the flashbacks. I hope it's not too confusing  
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**And sadly, I don't own Hetalia or any of the characters, I just use them as my muses XD**

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><p>When I walked out of the building I worked in, I immediately regretted telling my boyfriend that I'd walk home. The weatherman had said that the blizzard wasn't supposed to move in until later that night. But as usual, the moron was wrong. I swear, in this town, if you want to know what the weather is like, look outside. It was more dependable than the weatherman. He was also wrong about the weather on the day I met my boyfriend. He had forecasted a high of 60 degrees and a slight chance of rain. We got 3 inches of snow that night. Halloween night, to be exact. I'll never forget it…<p>

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><p>"<em>Are you really going to Alfie's party as that?" My best friend, Mattie, asked me.<em>

"_What's wrong with it?" I pouted, while pirouetting in front of my full length mirror. I was dressed as a World War II era female officer of the United States Army. I though it looked awesome. I looked as though I had just walked off the pages of a history book. My long, black hair had been curled and pinned up into your typical 1940's hairstyle and I made sure I didn't wear too much makeup. But just enough to make my blue eyes pop like crazy. The olive green color of the little hat I was wearing contrasted nicely against my black hair. _

"_You know how he's going to react. Just like he did last year, when you showed up as a cowgirl. You're gonna drive him nuts!" Mattie sighed. _

"_You're probably right, Mattie," I chuckled. "But he's been after me for years and if it hasn't happened yet, it probably won't. I mean, I like Alfred and all, but he's way too loud and arrogant for my taste. Been there, done that, and I won't make the same mistake twice," I said. _

"_True. Simon is a lot like my brother," Mattie chuckled. _

_I sighed and glared at my best friend. "I'd rather not think about him tonight, please. It's bad enough that I have to see him following me around all the time. Look, I just want to have an awesome time at the party and forget about him altogether, thank you very much." _

"_Alright, alright. I won't bring him up again. I promise," he said, putting his hands up in surrender. "Now, if you're ready, we should head over to Al's. He wants me there early to help him set up," Mattie sighed, rolling his eyes. _

_I gave myself one more look over in the mirror, just to make sure I didn't forget anything for the costume. I turned around and grabbed my olive green clutch off my bed. I popped it open and made sure I had everything I needed. Cell phone, check. Wallet, check. Keys, check. Extra hair pins just in case my curls started to fall out, check. _

"_Yep, I'm ready," I said, grinning at Mattie. _

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><p>As I shoved my ungloved hands in my warm coat pockets, I began walking through the two inches of snow that had already fallen. I briefly considered calling a taxi. Hell, I could probably be home before the taxi even got here. I only lived about 10 blocks from my office. I wondered why I didn't walk to work more often. Oh, right. Cause I'm lazy like that. It was just easier and quicker to drive. I was usually running late. I had a bad habit of getting wasted the night before and forgetting to set my alarm before passing out. To be perfectly honest, I should've been fired ages ago. But I guess being in a relationship with your boss's brother does have it's advantages. The thought of that brought a smile to my face. I started thinking about the first time I saw him, my boyfriend. How that simple costume caught my attention…<p>

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><p><em>The party was in full swing. Everybody was there. And even a few who hadn't been invited. Alfie practically drooled over my costume, just as Mattie had predicted. I had to be flattered. It's always nice to get a reaction like that out of a man. As I was standing at the bar, waiting for my margarita, I turned around and noticed that a crowd of people had gathered around this one guy, who was dancing like crazy. His costume got my attention. It was so simple, it was crazy. He was wearing a purple zip-up hoodie and attached to the hoodie was a devil tail and horns on the hood. He had the hood pulled up over his head to show the horns. And he was wearing skinny jeans that were the brightest shade of turquoise I'd ever seen. The devil was dancing like I'd never seen anyone dance in my entire 24 years of life. He seemed to be enjoying himself quite a bit. Or maybe he was just relishing the attention he was getting. But I still couldn't get past his costume, for some strange reason. Just a hoodie and skinny jeans. But it worked so well together. And he looked dead sexy in it. Most of the costumes here were very elaborate. There was a pirate, a bull fighter, a couple cats, a samurai, hockey player, what looked like Romeo, the Super Mario Brothers, and Thing 1 and Thing 2 from 'The Cat in the Hat,' which happened to be my 2 younger siblings, Kayla and Kaleb. They had all put a lot in to their get ups. But this guy looked as though he had put little to no thought into his costume. Or maybe the was the intention?<em>

"_What a showoff he is." A voice from behind me said. I quickly turned around to see my boss standing there, looking quite annoyed. And an annoyed cat to boot. _

"_Oh, hey Ludwig. You know that guy?" I asked. _

"_Yes, I know him quite well, unfortunately. He's my older brother," he explained. _

_My jaw dropped to the floor. "That's your brother? Him? The guy who's dancing like no one's watching," I said, shocked. _

_Ludwig sighed. "Yes. And I told him to behave himself. But it's obvious now that he had no intentions of doing that."_

_As I watched the devil dance, I couldn't believe that he was related to Ludwig. I mean, my boss was so straight laced and a perfectionist. This dude looked like he was the complete opposite. I was then eternally grateful that Kayla and Kaleb were total wallflowers when it came to social occasions. How embarrassing that must be. Just then, the song ended and the crowd around Ludwig's brother erupted into applause and cheers. And then the devil started walking towards us. And for some reason, my heart started to race and butterflies took off in my stomach. I was almost having a full blown panic attack by the time he reached us. _

"_Luddy, wha' didya think of my dancing? Awesome right?" The devil said, grinning from ear to ear. _

"_I thought I told you to behave yourself tonight?" Ludwig exploded. _

"_Geez, calm down, dude. I was just having some fun. This is a party, not a boardroom meeting," the devil pouted. Then he looked over at me. "Who's your sexy soldier friend, bro?"_

"_Oh, this is Renata. She's one of my coworkers. Ren," he said, looking at me, "this is Gilbert, my brother," he finished. _

"_Hey, it's nice to meet you," I said in the most confident voice I could muster. _

"_The pleasure is all mine, beautiful," Gilbert said, winking. _

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><p>I chuckled to myself as I turned the corner. Even though I seemed to be physically attracted to him instantly, his cockiness was a turnoff, at the time. See, I had just gotten out of a relationship an abusive, possessive, arrogant, and alcoholic Danish man. So I wasn't looking to replace him with an overly confident German man. But nonetheless, I stood there at the bar, for well over an hour, talking to him. I remember asking him about his costume. He explained to me that he hadn't been invited and when he found out about it, an hour before the party was to begin, he had simply used his costume from the previous year. Well, that explained the simplicity of it. And I swear, every other word out of his mouth was "awesome." This was awesome, that was awesome, or they were awesome. And even the occasional "I'm so awesome." That was starting to get on my nerves. So I was glad when he excused himself to use the restroom. As I watched him walk away, I noticed a certain blond-haired, blue-eyed Danish man standing in the corner. He started towards me when Gilbert had turned the corner into the hallway. I hadn't even noticed her was there. But I shouldn't be surprised. What with the stalking and all. The following events made me look at Gilbert in a completely different way…<p>

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><p>'<em>Oh, shit!' I thought to myself. 'What in the hell is he doing here?'<em>

_Just the mere sight of him had me seeing red. We hadn't exactly parted on good terms. If I'm not mistaken, the last words I said to him as he walked out of my house were, "You could die in a car accident tomorrow and I wouldn't shed one damn tear for you. Go to hell, Simon!" So needless to say, I was practically shaking with pure anger as Simon approached me. _

"_Well, hello Renata! Fancy seeing you here," he said, acting as though we were still cordial with each other. _

"_What in the hell are you doing here, Simon?" I hissed through clenched teeth. _

"_I heard that this party was going to be the best party that Al has ever thrown. And I must say, the rumors were true. A full bar, catering, and even a live DJ. I'm impressed. Dude went all out this year," Simon said, smirking. _

"_Really?" I said. "Part of me thinks you showed up to stalk me some more. Yeah, don't think I haven't seen you following me around."_

"_You're just as paranoid as ever, Ren," he chuckled softly, then reached his hand out to touch my face. _

"_Don't you dare touch me!" I yelled as I smacked his hand away. _

"_Is there a problem here?" A voice behind me asked. _

_I quickly twisted around and saw that Gilbert was standing right behind me. I opened my mouth to answer his question, but Simon interrupted me. _

"_No, there isn't a problem. Now, why don't you just run along, albino," he said, sneering at Gilbert. _

_I whipped back around to face Simon. "God, you're such an ass. Why don't _you _leave? Just leave me alone!" I all but screamed at him. _

"_No, I'm not going anywhere." Simon said as he lifted his drink to his mouth. _

_And at that very moment, something came over me. I had had enough. I raised my arm and smacked the glass right out of his hand. Causing it spill all down the front of him. As I glared at him, the look on his face was one of absolute shock, then it quickly turned to anger. _

"_My beer!" He yelled._

_The next thing I know, Simon's raising his arm as though he were about to hit me. Then a flash of purple right in front of my face. Gilbert had reached around me and caught Simon's wrist in mid-air. _

"_I know you were not about to hit a lady," Gilbert said, raising an eyebrow. "And especially in front of me."_

"_Nobody does that to me and gets away with it. Not even a woman, not that I would ever call _her _a woman," he said, wincing as Gilbert squeezed his wrist harder. _

"_Didn't your mother ever teach you any manners?" Gilbert asked. "Or to listen, at least. Cause I do believe Ren asked you to leave."_

"_This isn't Ren's house. She can't tell me to leave," Simon hissed at Gilbert. _

"_It doesn't matter whose house it is," Gilbert said as he walked around me to stand between Simon and I. He put more pressure on Simon's wrist and twisted it down to where it was at Simon's side. "When a lady asks you to leave her alone, you leave her alone, dude. It's as simple as that."_

"_Gilbert! You're causing a scene!" Someone to my right said. _

_I turned and saw a very disgruntled Ludwig standing there. _

_I hadn't even noticed that everybody was watching the whole scene play out. I was immediately embarrassed and felt my face grow red. _

"_He obviously needs to be taught a lesson, Ludwig," Gilbert said glaring at his younger brother. _

"_I agree. But now is not the time nor is this the place, Gil," Ludwig said angrily. _

_Gilbert stood there for a second. "Yeah, you're right, bro," Gilbert sighed and let go of Simon's arm. He started to walk away, but instead, he bawled his hand up into a fist, swung his arm up, and punched Simon square in his jaw. He had put so much force behind it that Simon had fallen down and slid about two feet away from where he was standing. _

"_That was for bothering Ren!" Gilbert yelled. He then walked over and kicked Simon in the ribs. "And that was for calling me albino, you prick!"_

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><p>I remember standing there, shell-shocked. Gilbert had turned around and asked me if I was okay. It surprised me that he looked genuinely concerned about me. I told him I was fine and then he nodded his head, turned around, and walked out the front door. I was worried that he was leaving. I hadn't even told him thank you. I remember rushing to the door, hoping to at least catch him before he left. I <em>had <em>to thank him for doing that. It was the first time anyone had even defended me against Simon. Through all the years Simon and I were together, nobody came to my defense. Not even my own family. Whenever I would go visit them, they never said a word about the bruises or the occasional broken bone, towards the end of the relationship, they turned a blind eye to it all. Even though I love my family dearly, a part of me will never forgive them for that. So, I had to tell him how grateful I was towards him. I wrenched the door open and ran out onto the porch…

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><p><em>As I stood on the porch. I was amazed at just how much snow had fallen over the last few hours. All the Halloween decorations had an inch or more of fluffy, light snow covering them. <em>

"_You lookin' for me?" A voice said softly. _

_I turned my head and saw Gilbert sitting on the porch swing. I was relieved that he hadn't left. _

"_I was, actually," I said as I walked over to the swing and sat down next to him. _

"_What's on your mind, beautiful?" he asked me. _

_I sat there , staring at my hands, trying to think of the right words to say without sounding like your typical female. You know how girls get when they're grateful towards a guy._

"_I just wanted to say thank you. For what you did," I whispered, still staring at my hands. _

"_That was nothing'. Any one of those guys would've done the same. Just not as awesome as that," Gilbert said, grinning at me. _

_I shook my head. "You're wrong. They would've let it happen." I knew I was going to regret saying this, but he probably already knew about it. "They didn't do anything about it back then."_

" '_Back then'? What're you talking about?" He asked._

_The confused look on his face shocked me. I figured, with how connected we all were, he would've heard the story second hand from Ludwig, or the gossip happy Frenchman, who probably heard it all from Mattie. 'Oh what the hell? It couldn't hurt anything.' I thought to myself. He'd probably find out eventually. Especially after what just happened. _

_So, I told him the whole story. Starting with how Simon and I met and how the abuse and possessiveness started slow and then got worse over time. It started with small bruises that I could cover with concealer. Then the bruises I couldn't cover. Next were black eyes and the occasional bloody nose. I had finally had enough when he broke two fingers and my nose in one of his tantrums. I fought back with the heaviest frying pan I had. I succeeded in knocking him out cold. But I had to get out of there while he was knocked out. There was no way in hell that I was still going to be there when he came to. I gathered my things and sat in the café across the street from the apartment building, waiting to see if he would leave. After about forty-five minutes, he walked out of the front door, carrying 2 overnight bags. _

"_So, I guess that's all of it," I sighed, coming back to reality. _

"_Wow…" Gilbert finally said after a minute of silence. "Had I known he did all of that to you, I would've hit him a few more times," He growled. _

"_He deserves much worse if you ask me, but it doesn't matter now. What's done is done, and there isn't anything anyone can do now," I said. _

"_How long were you two together?" he asked, hesitantly. _

"_A couple years," I answered. _

"_That went on for _years _and no one did anything about it?" he asked incredulously. _

"_Nope. Nobody helped me. Not even my family. Even when I did ask, I was practically ignored." _

_Gilbert just sat there and shook his head. "I wish I would've known you. I_ would _have done something about it."_

"_Thanks. Like I said though, it doesn't matter now. But hey, at least you were here to come to my rescue tonight," I said, attempting to lighten the mood a little. _

"_Hell yeah! It's cause I'm awesome like that. Kesesesese~" he sniggered._

_I rolled my eyes at him and shook my head. _

"_I hate to think about what might have happened had you not been here."_

"_Me too. Cause it was obvious none of those pussies would step up and take care of it. That's why I stepped in," Gilbert said angrily. _

"_You're right," I agreed. "So, what can I do to repay you? I can't let a good deed go unrewarded." I was blatantly flirting with him now. I knew that if I didn't, he wouldn't let me do anything in return. _

"_Hmm," he said. "How about dinner?"_

"_Okay. Dinner at a restaurant or would you like a home-cooked meal, perhaps?" I asked. _

_He looked at me for a second. "Well, you look like you'd be an awesome cook, so a home-cooked meal sounds good," he smirked. _

"_Awesome! Then it's a date." I cringed at my choice of words, but he just laughed it off. _

"_Sounds good to me. Now, let's go back in side and get a few drinks in us. You look about half froze."_

"_That sounds like an awesome idea," I smiled as we stood up and walked towards the door. _

_When we got back inside, everybody turned to look at us. My sister, Kayla, caught my eye and she looked worried. I just smiled and winked at her to let her know everything was okay. She smiled back and continued talking to Feliciano, the Italian kid she had a crush on. It looked as though everybody was going to forget about what just happened, which was fine with me. I wanted to forget about it too. And that's exactly what I did. _

_Gilbert and I sat at the bar, drinking and talking until well after 2 in the morning. After about 4 margaritas and countless tequila shots, after Gilbert had teased me about how girly margaritas were, he decided that I'd had enough. I whined and pouted when he took my drink away from me. I wasn't done. Bastard. Anyway, when I spun around on my bar stool, I noticed that everybody was either gone or passed out. I was obviously too drunk to drive home. Ludwig had brought Gilbert, but when Ludwig came to tell Gilbert he was leaving, he told his younger brother that he'd find a way home. He could've driven us back to my place, but he was just as drunk as I was. That's when I noticed Alfred walking around, checking on people. _

"_Alfie~!" I cried out. _

"_Ren, you're still here?" he asked with a surprised look on his face. _

"_Yup! I've been sitting here, drinking with my new best friend," I said grinning at Gilbert. _

"_You're new _awesome_ best friend!" Gilbert said._

"_Damn skippy, you're awesome!" I agreed. I turned back to Alfred. "Dude, I'm gonna need you to call me a taxi." I slurred at him. _

"_Sorry, babe. None of the taxis are running tonight. Cause of the snow," he said. _

"_Well, hell!" I roared. "How in the hell am I supposed to get home?"_

"_You two can stay here. Ren, you can share my bed with me, if you want," Alfie said. Then he looked over at Gilbert. "And you can have the upstairs guest bedroom , if it's still available," he added, begrudgingly. _

_I busted out laughing. "I'm not gonna share a bed with you! Are you insane? Gilbert and I will take the guest bedroom."_

_I looked over at Gilbert and he nodded his head and I nodded back at him._

"_Gilbert, you're awesome! I love you man!" I yelled at him. But as I jumped up to wrap my arms around his neck, everything went black. _

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><p><strong>So, how was it? Horrible? Yeah, it was, wasn't it? *sighs*<strong>

**Anyway, thanks for reading. Please review. Constructive criticism is welcomed. No flamers. Or I'll send France to climb through your windows tonight~ *srsface***

**P.S. I'll try to have chapter 2 posted the first week of October when I get back from my 2 week vacation XD  
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	2. The Beginning, perhaps?

**Alrighty, here it is. Sorry it took me so long to get it posted. Vacation and other things delayed it. But I'm hoping to have the third chapter posted by the middle of next week. I'm already halfway done writing it! Enjoy!  
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**Disclaimer:  
>I don't own Hetalia or any of the characters. Nor do I own anything by "Lonely Island"<br>**

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><p>I was halfway home when the snow started falling heavier. The streets were so quiet. No cars on the road, nobody walking around. When I got to the next corner, I looked over at my favorite park. 'I think I might take a little detour.' I thought to myself. It wasn't dark yet, so I wasn't worried about being mugged or anything. This was a relatively safe neighborhood. I crossed the street and entered the park. Even though it should've been darker in here, what with the trees and all, it was bright. It reminded me of the morning after the Halloween party. How the room was much, much too bright…<p>

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><p><em>The first thing I remembered was the presence of pain. My head was pounding so hard, it felt as though my head would explode any second. In addition, my entire body hurt. Like I had worked out too much the day before. And my God, was the room bright. I carefully and very slowly opened one of my eyes. The shades were still shut, but it didn't matter. The light filtered through anyway. I squeezed my eye shut, pulled the covers over my head, and rolled over. My head hit something soft and warm. I opened my eye and quickly realized I wasn't the only one in the bed. <em>

"_Mornin' sleeping beauty. It's about time you woke up," a loud and obnoxious voice said. I looked up and found a pair of maroon eyes staring back at me. Why in the hell was I in bed with Gilbert?_

"_Ugh, not so loud, dude!" I moaned. _

"_Bit hung-over, are we?" he chuckled. _

"_What do you think, smart one?" I snapped. I was in no mood for stupidity. He just sniggered at me again. _

"_Wait," I began. "Where am I? And why are you in bed with me?" I lifted the covers to make sure I wasn't naked. Nope, not naked. I was wearing the black camisole I wore under my costume, my underwear was still in place, and I still had my knee-high black socks on. "And where are my clothes?"_

"_You're at Alfred's house. He offered to let us stay last night because we were both too drunk to drive and the taxis weren't running. And I'm in bed with you because you refused to sleep in Alfred's bed and you didn't want me sleeping on the couch over there," he explained, jerking his chin towards the couch across the room. "You're also quite the cuddler," he teased. _

_I cringed at his last sentence. More than one person has told me that before. Therefore, I knew he was telling the truth. I sat up slowly and looked around the room. My clothes were in a pile on the couch and my boots were lying on the floor, on opposite sides of the room from each other. _

"_Why didn't you just leave me in my costume?" I asked. _

"_Oh, that was Al's idea," Gilbert answered. _

"_Of course it was, the little perv," I said, annoyed. _

"_You woke up halfway through him undressing you and started freaking out. You even kicked him in the chest! It was awesome!" he laughed. _

"_That's what he gets," I said scowling at the floor. _

_Gilbert sat up and leaned against the headboard. The sun was shining on his silver-grey hair, making the room a little brighter. _

"_It gets better. After you kicked him, you jumped off the bed, took your boots off, and threw them at him! It was hysterical! Then, you screamed at the top of your lungs, "The only one who's taking off my clothes tonight is HIM!" pointing at me. After that, you passed out again," he said. _

"_No!" I gasped. "I didn't say that, did I? You're just messing with me," I turned and looked at him. _

"_I'm serious! You said that. You said a few other things in your sleep too," he said grinning that stupid grin of his. _

_I stared at him in horror. I didn't usually talk in my sleep. Unless I was drunk. As I looked at his maroon eyes, I noticed that there was a playful look in them. I glared at him. He was just playing with me. _

"_You lying bastard!" I yelled while punching him on the arm. _

_He laughed his obnoxious laugh, causing me to wince. _

"_The look on your face was awesomely priceless, Ren!" he said, doubled over with laughter. _

"_I hate you," I said, still glaring at him. _

"_No, you don't. You said just the opposite last night," he said, smirking. _

"_I don't believe you."_

"_You really did though!" I punched him again. "Ow, I mean it! Ask Alfred the next time you see him."_

"_Fine," I said, getting out of bed. "I'll go ask him right now then."_

"_This should be great," Gilbert said swinging his legs off the bed to pull his pants on. _

_While we were getting dressed, there was a loud knock at the door. _

"_Come in!" I said as I zipped my skirt up. _

_The door swung open and Alfred was standing there with a cup of coffee in each of his hands. _

"_Mornin' guys!" Alfred said in his annoyingly chipper voice. "I thought you two could use these." He handed me one and leaned across the bed to hand Gilbert his. _

"_Oh my God, Alfie, you're awesome! Thanks!" I said as I took a sip of the steaming coffee. _

"_Yeah, thanks." Gilbert added. He didn't sound thankful at all. _

"_No problem. So, did y'all have fun last night? It was the best party I've ever thrown, right?" Alfred asked grinning from ear to ear. _

"_Well," I started. "I don't actually remember much of it," I took another sip of the coffee._

"_That doesn't surprise me. You had a lot to drink," Alfred said. "But I at least thought you'd remember knocking Simon's drink out of hand."_

_I choked on the coffee. "I did WHAT?" I coughed._

_Alfred and Gilbert then launched into a full replay of the nights events. And as they talked, it slowly started to come back. Knocking Simon's drink out of his hand, him acting as though he were about to hit me, Gilbert stopping him and then punching him. After that was the talk on the porch. _

"_I have no clue what you were doing, but y'all were out there for a while," Alfie said curiously. _

"_Just talking," Gilbert said, looking over at me. _

_I knew he was remembering the story I told him and I was grateful that he hadn't given Alfie the details. _

"_Oh, I see," was all he said. He obviously wanted to know the lowdown. I quickly changed the subject. _

"_So what else did I do last night? Gilbert told me a few things, but I'm not sure I believe him," I said, cutting my eyes at him. _

"_Did she or did she not kick you while you were trying to undress her?" He demanded. _

_Alfie looked at me. "Yes, she did. And it hurt like hell. You left a mark, babe," he said glaring at me._

"_Well, I was drunk and I had no clue what you were doing!" I yelled at him. "That's what you get."_

"_I was only trying to help," Alfie said with mock innocence. _

"_Yeah, right," I said sourly. "Oh, speaking of stupid shit I did last night, did I tell Gilbert that I loved him?" I asked Alfie. _

"_Yeah, you did," he laughed. "More than once, too!"_

"_I told you so!" Gilbert exploded as I hid my face in my hands. I'm such an idiot when I drink. I'm never drinking that much again. Moreover, especially not with Gilbert around. _

"_Whatever dude! I was drunk and obviously didn't know what I was saying!" I yelled back, throwing my hands into the air. _

"_Say what you want, but we both know you're attracted to me. I mean, who isn't?" he said smugly._

_I stared at him in shock as my face turned bright red. I wanted to smack that smug look right off his stupid face. _

"_You're full of yourself," I hissed at him._

"_Dude, there's no denying it! It's written all over your face!" he sniggered. _

_I sighed. All right, he had me. I was attracted to him, but it was purely physical. His arrogant personality made me want to hit every time he opened his big, stupid mouth. _

"_Never in a million years would I be attracted to someone like you!" I snapped at him. _

"_You'll come to your senses one day. It's only a matter of time," Gilbert said taking a sip of his coffee. _

_I had the sudden urge to launch myself across the bed and knock the cup right out of his hand. I fought it and settled on huffing in exasperation and grabbing my boots and purse. _

"_Don't hold your breath waiting for that day to come," I growled as I walked out of the room. _

_I could hear him laughing as I stomped down the stairs. Stupid jackass. Who did he think he was? I was so infuriated that I wasn't paying attention to anything, and I ended up, literally, running into Mattie at the foot of the stairs. _

"_Ugh! Mattie, I'm so sorry. I wasn't paying attention," I mumbled. _

"_It's okay. What was all the yelling about a few minutes ago?" He asked._

"_Just an argument with a stubborn jackass!" I yelled up the stairs. Gilbert's annoying laugh drifted down the stairs. I glared in his general direction. _

"_I take it you don't find Gilbert as interesting today as you did last night?" Mattie chuckled. _

"_What gave you your first clue?" I muttered. _

"_So, what did you guys do on the porch last night? You two were out there for over an hour," he asked with obvious curiosity. _

"_We just talked," I shrugged while pulling my boots on. _

_Just then, Gilbert and Alfred appeared at the top of the stairs. _

"_Speaking of the conversation we had, when are you making me dinner?" Gilbert asked smirking at me._

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><p>By the time I reached the other side of the park, I was completely frozen. 'Maybe I should call Gilbert and have him pick me up?' I thought. I pulled out my cell phone and touched the screen to bring it to life. Nothing happened. Shit! It must be dead. All right, I'll just duck into a store or café and use their phone. I crossed the street and noticed that most of the shops were closed. Just then, I saw lights glowing off the snow. Walking on, I realized that it was the café owned by Gilbert's friend, Francis. It also happened to be the place where I saw Gilbert a week after the Halloween party. Everything kind of changed after that….<p>

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><p>'<em>Okay, seriously? This is getting ridiculous!' I said to myself. It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon and I had decided that I would go for a walk in my favorite park. About ten minutes after I parked my car across the street from the main entrance, I immediately realized I should've stayed home. Simon had decided to follow me. Again. His stalking had become much worse since the Halloween party. Before, I was seeing him once or twice a week. This week, I was seeing him once or twice a day. He had even taken to standing across the street from my house. I mean, c'mon! Did he not have anything better to do? What was the point of it? <em>

_When I reached the other side of the park, I decided to go get a cup of coffee at the new French café that just opened. And hopefully lose Simon in the process. As I walked in, a blonde-haired, blue-eyed Frenchman greeted me. _

"_Welcome to Café du Pont Neuf, ma chère!" he said, grabbing my hand and kissing it. _

_I sighed and rolled my eyes. I heard the bell on the door behind me ring, then footsteps. _

"_Hey now, Francis! No hitting on Ren. She's mine!" A loud, obnoxious voice from behind me said. I whipped around and saw Gilbert standing there. There goes my good day._

"_Jesus Christ, Gilbert! Are you now stalking me, too?" I asked with obvious annoyance. _

"_You wish! But seriously, no I'm not. Francis is a good friend of mine and I always get free coffee here," he said winking at me. "Wait, did you just say 'stalking me too'?" he asked confused. _

"_Yes, I did. Simon has increased his stalking over the last week. Thanks to you," I muttered. _

"_Simon?" he asked. "Oh yeah. Your crazy ass ex-boyfriend. He's still bothering you?"_

"_He is, but it's nothing I can't handle," I said as confidently as I could._

"_Sure," he said. He obviously wasn't fooled. _

"_Ok, vous deux. Do you want to stand here, talking all day, or would you like to be seated?" Francis asked angrily. _

"_All right, all right, don't get your panties in twist, Frenchy," Gilbert laughed. "We'll sit somewhere by the window, kay?"_

"_Right this way, then," Francis said, walking away. Gilbert followed him._

"_Wait, who said I was sitting with you?" I asked incredulously. _

"_I did. I'll keep you company while you wait for your stalker to get bored and leave. I guess that's what you're doing, right?" he said, not bothering to stop or even look back at me._

"_Whatever," I said, following them._

_After two and a half hours, countless cups of coffee and a couple plates of beignets, I was actually starting to like Gilbert. He wasn't so bad. Just kind of annoying at certain times. We talked about our childhoods and more about our current lives. Apparently, he was living in Ludwig's basement because he had been laid off from his job recently. And he hated it. He loathed being dependent upon his younger brother so much. He was trying to save as much of his unemployment checks as possible so that he could move into a place of his own. However, it wasn't enough. He was thinking about asking Francis for a job at the café, but he wasn't sure if Francis would go for it. _

"_I mean, he's one of my best friends and all, but he might not like the idea of working with me." Gilbert said._

"_Well, you'll never know unless you ask. Gotta start somewhere, right?" I said. _

"_Yeah, I guess you're right," he sighed while looking out the window. "Hey, it looks like Simon finally got bored and left. I don't see him anywhere."_

"_Good, cause I really need to get home," I said looking down at my phone. "Mattie was wanting me to go see a movie with him, but I really don't want to. I kind of just want to chill at home tonight."_

_A wide grin spread across Gilbert's face. "Hey, you still owe me a home-cooked meal, beautiful. Use me as an excuse. Tell him that this is the only night I have available," he said._

_I sighed. Did I really want to spend my entire day with Gilbert? Is it bad that the answer to that question is yes?_

"_Okay, but dinner isn't going to be spectacular. I didn't have anytime to plan for it," I said. "I do have that chicken I could roast. Oh, and leftover mashed potatoes. I could do Reibekuchen with those."_

"_Sounds good to me," Gilbert said smiling._

"_And I'm going to need to stop by the grocery store if you want dessert. How does Apfelstrudel sound?" I asked him_

"_That's my favorite," he said. "Hey, how do you know so many German dishes?"_

"_I'm half German, remember? My mother was born and raised in Berlin. She taught me everything she knows about cooking," I said grinning. _

"_That's right," he said smacking his forehead. _

"_So, if you're going to want to eat something other than beignets any time soon, we better get going."_

"_Yes, ma'am!"_

_I paid the bill and we left. And quite honestly, I was glad Gilbert was with me. Just because we didn't see Simon anywhere, didn't mean he wasn't around here somewhere. In addition, I wasn't looking forward to walking back through the park by myself. As soon as we were out of the park and close enough to my car, I unlocked it using the remote. I didn't want to have to stand there and fumble with the keys. I went to open the driver's side door and Gilbert hesitated behind the car._

"_What's wrong?" I asked him._

"_You have a stalker and you're not even gonna bother checking the backseat or the trunk before you get in?" he asked, raising an eyebrow._

_I paused and thought about it. I never had before. I didn't think Simon would go that far. But I was stupid to think that. He would do just about anything . Cause he's crazy like that. I looked in the backseat and no one was there. I opened the door and popped open the trunk. Gilbert looked in._

"_You're good to go," Gilbert said closing the trunk. "Seriously, Ren. You don't do that every time you get in to your car?"_

"_No. Simply because I never had a reason to," I said getting in the car. "I will now though."_

"_Good," he said shutting his door. "Cause personally I wouldn't put anything past that crazy fucker. Especially since he likes to stand in front of your house." _

"_Hey, maybe you'll get lucky and he'll show up tonight. Then you can finish what you started at the party last weekend," I laughed._

"_Only in a perfect world, babe," he grinned. _

_The ride to the store was an eventful one. Gilbert was teasing me for my taste in music. When I turned the car on, I had been listening to a mixed CD that had some Coldplay, Muse, and 30 Seconds to Mars on it. He was okay with Muse and 30 Seconds to Mars, but he couldn't believe that "someone as awesome as you listens to shitty Coldplay!" That started an argument. We argued about it until we got to the store, then he started picking on me for listening to Japanese music. "I can't understand a fucking word they say!" was his complaint. "That's why you look up the lyrics on the internet, smart one." was my comeback._

"_Why don't you look through my CD's and see if there's anything you want to listen to," I said when we got back to the car. "Cause apparently your taste in music is far superior to mine," I rolled my eyes. _

"_Damn right it is!" he said, looking through my CD book. "Oh Mein Gott! Lonely Island?" He asked putting it in the CD player._

_I laughed as the first song started. Which happened to be my favorite, 'Jack Sparrow'. _

_"Do you like them? Cause I fucking love them!"_

_He didn't answer me because he was too busy singing along. He knew the entire song! Hell, he knew most of the songs on "Turtleneck and Chain". That made me happy. We certainly had similar senses of humor. _

_It was dark by the time we got back to my house. When I pulled in the drive way, I noticed that someone was standing on my porch. It was Simon. _

"_Fuck! What is he doing here?" I hissed, parking the car.  
><em>

"_Don't worry about it. I'll take of it," Gilbert said, getting out of the car. _

"_Dude, don't do anything stupid. I don't want to have to call your brother and tell him your in jail!" I yelled as I slammed my door shut._

"_It won't come to that," he said. _

_I sighed. 'This is gonna be bad. Really bad.' I though to myself as we walked up to the porch. _

"_I was wondering when you were going to show up, Ren," Simon said with a creepy grin on his face. "And look, you even brought the albino with you. That's even better."_

* * *

><p><strong>Dun, dun, dun! Cliffhanger!<br>**

**Please, please, please read and review. And let me know if there are any typos I need to take care of. I tried to make this chapter easier to read and stuff. So, yeah...  
><strong>

**Thanks for reading! **

_**Translations:  
><strong>_**ma chere - My dear  
><strong>**vous deux - you two**_**  
><strong>_**Reibekuchen - Potato pancakes  
>Apfelstrudel - Apple strudel<br>**


	3. Death and Fluffiness

**Alrighty, here it is! Chapter 3! After hitting some writer's block and a problem uploading it to the Doc manager, it's good to go! It starts out kinda effed up and ends on a fluff-filled, so-sweet-it'll-give-you-cavities note. Hope you like it~! P.S. I just want to thank every one who has faved this, added it to your alerts and reviewed it. I really appreciate it~3**

**Oh, and be prepared for some OOCness from Prussia...  
><strong>

**Disclaimer time:**

**I do not own Hetalia, nor do I own anything by Coldplay...**

* * *

><p>"<em>What the fuck are you doing here, Simon?" I yelled walking past Gilbert. <em>

"_I just thought I'd pay you a little visit. Thought maybe we could catch up," Simon said serenely. I just stood there, staring at him in disbelief. Was he serious? This dude is crazier than I thought. _

"_Well, you were wrong. You're not welcome here. So why don't you just leave?" Gilbert said, stepping around me. I grabbed his arm and held him back to stand beside me. _

"_Seriously, Simon. Just leave. I don't have the patience to deal with you today," I said as calmly as I could. _

"_All right, I'll go," he said after a second or two of staring at me. "But there's something I need to take care of before I do." He started walking down the porch stairs, towards us. I felt Gilbert put his hand on the small of my back. As Simon came closer, I noticed he was carrying something in his hands. A pillowcase maybe? It looked like something was in it, too. _

"_When I got here, I noticed that Sebastian was still around," he started, tilting his head to the side. "He was asleep on the chair over there. I remembered how you loved that cat. How sometimes, you loved him more than me," he frowned at me. _

_Sebastian is my black cat, whom I love and adore with every fiber of my being. I had left him outside when left earlier. Had I known I was going to be gone so long, I wouldn't have let him out. What did my cat have to do with anything? I looked around, expecting to see him slinking around in my flowerbeds, but he was nowhere to be found. I looked at the pillowcase Simon was holding and my stomach knotted immediately. He wouldn't._

"_I always hated him because of that. All that love and affection you gave him should have been mine. Now, it can be," Simon said, throwing the pillowcase at my feet. As it hit the ground, it opened and a limp, black paw fell out. My heart sank. I heard Gilbert gasp and stiffen beside me._

"_No…" I whispered. I knelt down and opened the pillowcase. I ran my hand down Sebastian's back. He was cold and not breathing. He was dead. Tears welled up in my eyes and quickly spilled over onto my face. "You killed my Sebastian?" I asked in a shocked whisper. _

"_Instead of loving that animal, you can give all of your love to me," Simon said, softly. _

"_YOU CRAZY BASTARD!" I screeched as I lunged for his legs. His knees buckled as I wrapped my arms around them and he fell backwards. I scrambled to get to my feet before he recovered. As I aimed my fist at his nose, I felt a pair of arms wrap around my waist, lifting me off the ground. _

"_Ren, it's not worth it!" Gilbert said in my ear. _

"_Let me go, Gilbert!" I bellowed at him, struggling to get free from his arms. _

"_No!" he said firmly. "I'll handle this." I stopped fighting him and he let me down. I slumped to the ground and broke down. My poor Sebastian._

"_Wow, you're crazier than I thought you were," Gilbert said to Simon as he walked towards him. _

"_I'm not the crazy one. That bitch over there is," he said, trying to get to his feet. Gilbert got to Simon just as he was steadying himself. Gilbert grabbed him by his collar and held him an inch away from his face._

"_You really shouldn't say shit like that with me around," Gilbert growled. Simon spit in Gilberts face, resulting in a punch to the jaw with his free hand. He drug Simon by his collar across my front yard and threw him in into the street. _

"_Been nice seein' ya," Gilbert said coldly to Simon he got to his feet and started walking away. Gilbert turned back, and after wiping his face off with his sleeve, walked back across the yard to me. _

"_I'm so sorry, Ren," he said kneeling down beside me. _

"_Sebastian…" was all I managed to choke out before breaking down again. Gilbert wrapped an arm around my shoulders and I leaned my head against his chest. We sat like that for a few minutes, before he finally spoke. _

"_We should probably bury him," he said quietly as I broke into a new fit of tears. I reached over and pulled Sebastian out of the pillowcase. He was so cold and stiff. I clutched him closer to my chest as Gilbert helped me to my feet. He kept an arm around me until we reached the front door. I reached into the pocket of my hoodie and pulled out my keys._

"_It's the one with the 'F' on it," I said to Gilbert, handing them to him. _

_He unlocked the door and held it open for me. I walked in and turned the hallway light on. I opened the hall closet and grabbed an old shoe-box that looked big enough. I took the lid off and gently laid Sebastian down inside. I put the lid back on before I could start sobbing again. I closed the closet door and walked towards the kitchen. I turned the light on and walked over to the back door. After setting the makeshift coffin on the bench by the door, I turned to face Gilbert. _

"_I'm sorry," I whispered. _

"_What do you have to be sorry about?" Gilbert asked, raising an eyebrow. _

"_I'm sorry that this happened. Sorry that, for the second time in one fucking week, you've had to deal with my psycho ex-boyfriend," I said, angrily. "Sorry that you've been thrown into my mess."_

"_I'm not. Just like last time, I'm just glad I was here. There's no telling what he would've done had you actually punched him," he said taking a step towards me. _

_I went and sat down at the kitchen table. Sighing, I held my head in my hands and mumbled, "I knew something like this would happen eventually. I should've seen it coming. He won't be happy until I'm dead. I swear that's what he's working towards."_

"_Hey, hey, hey!" Gilbert said, kneeling beside my chair. "It won't come to that. I mean, he's fucking insane and all, but I don't think he'd go that far."_

"_You don't know him like I do. He's the 'if-I-can't-have-her-then-no-one-can' type of guy," I explained, shaking my head. "I'm surprised he hasn't tried to kill me yet."_

"_All right, that's enough. You're talking nonsense," Gilbert said sternly. "Like I said, it won't come to that. I won't let it happen."_

"_There's only so much one person can do," I said quietly. _

"_I've done a pretty awesome job so far, if I do say so myself," he said. I just sighed and nodded my head. "Now, we really should go bury Sebastian."_

"_Yeah, I guess so," I agreed, standing up. I walked over, picked the shoe-box up, and walked out the door. _

_After grabbing a shovel from the garage and a short argument over me wanting to dig the grave myself-he insisted upon digging it for me-we buried Sebastian under the Japanese maple in the backyard. I started crying again as I placed the crude coffin in the shallow grave. _

* * *

><p>I walked into the café and was greeted by a teenage girl in pig-tails. As soon as she saw me, she insisted upon getting cup of coffee to warm me up. It sounded like a good idea, so I agreed. While I sat there waiting for my coffee, I thought about the six weeks following that night. It started out slow, with him asking me out for the occasional drink or movie. Then came hanging out at my house; movies, dinner, a game of Scrabble. And of course, alcohol was always in the mix. I remember one night I was feeling a tad bit nostalgic and wanted to watch 'The Beauty and the Beast'. We argued about it for10 minutes until I decided to make it into a drinking game. Every time they started singing, we'd take a shot of tequila. We did that with a lot of movies. Hell, we even did it with a game of 'Just Dance' one time. Only, instead of one shot, the loser had to take two shots.<p>

Then, about a week before Christmas, he asked me over to his place to watch a movie. Ludwig was out of town, so we wouldn't have to hangout in the basement. That was when he decided we should become more than just friends.

* * *

><p>"<em>So, what movie are we watching tonight?" I asked as he took my coat. <em>

"_Well, with it being Christmas time and all, I thought we'd watch 'It's a Wonderful Life' and every time someone says 'Mary' or 'Bailey', we take a shot," he answered grinning. _

"_Or both," I said winking. "It makes it more interesting."_

"_Sounds awesome to me," he said, winking back. _

_As the night progressed, things were going great. We sat there and made fun of the way they spoke back then. Well, more him than me. I always loved the phrases they used. It's was so old-fashioned and I loved it. He just thought it was hokey and corny. He would bust out laughing every time someone said 'gee whiz' or 'that's swell'. By the time the movie was over, we were both pretty tipsy. I never realized just how many times they said 'Bailey' in that movie. _

"_Ren, can I ask you a question?" he said, turning the TV off. _

"_Sure. What's up?"_

"_What is this? Between us, I mean. Are we just friends or what?" Leave it to Gilbert to be as blunt as possible. _

"_Well, that's what I thought," I said hesitantly. _

"_I think we should be more than just friends," he said turning to look at me. His face was slightly flushed and I convinced myself it was just the alcohol causing that. There's no way Gilbert would blush. _

_I didn't answer. I wasn't sure what to say. Was he serious or was it just the booze talking? I decided the latter. _

"_Oh please," I said, playfully smacking his arm. "You're drunk. You don't know what you're saying."_

"_I'm not that drunk, Ren," he said, looking down at the floor. "I like you. A lot. And these last few weeks have been awesome and I'd like to take it to the next level."_

_Well, hell! He was serious after all. _

"_I like you too. More than you know," I paused and took a deep breath. "But Gilbert, to be perfectly honest, I'm not ready to take it to the next level. I just got out of a horrible situation and it broke me. Into a million little pieces and I need to put myself back together before I take it any further with you."_

"_It's been four months since you two broke up," he said angrily, looking back at me. "Wait, is this the whole 'it's-not-you-it's-me' speech?"_

"_I guess it is," I sighed. "But I'm not using it as an excuse. It's the truth and you should know that. You know what he did to me. What he continues to do to me. And I'm not about to put you through it too."_

"_I'm already involved, Ren! I got involved at that damned Halloween party. Look, let me help you through this. You don't have to do it alone," he said as his maroon eyes bored into mine. _

"_I think I do. I don't want to hurt you. And I think you would if you got more involved. Like I said, I'm broken and I need to fix myself first. I'm just not ready."_

"_I could fix you," he said sadly. _

_I reached over and placed my hand on his cheek. "You probably could. But I really feel as though I need to do this alone. I'm sorry," I whispered. _

_He nodded his head as I stood up. I needed to leave before he actually succeeded in talking me into it. I let go of his face and headed towards the door. I heard him stand as I pulled my coat on. _

"_I'm not giving up, Ren," he said in a determined voice. _

_I turned to face him. "I know. And I wish you would." I turned back to the door and walked out into the frosty December air._

_Later that night, I was lying in bed, failing at falling asleep. I kept replaying the conversation with Gilbert over and over again in my head. A part of me felt bad. When I remember the look on his face, how hurt his expression was, it made me feel horrible. But the other part of me didn't want him to involved any further. I liked him enough to where I didn't want to see him get hurt. I almost felt like he'd be a rebound. No, Gilbert wouldn't be a rebound. I liked being around him too much. The last few weeks have been great. I find myself laughing and smiling more than I did before we started hanging out. But it was the same way with Simon. Maybe a part of me is worried about Gilbert turning out the same way? No, he isn't anything like Simon. Look at the way he acted that night Simon showed up and killed my cat. He protected me from Simon and comforted me afterwards. Someone like that wouldn't hurt me. Right?_

_I sighed aloud and rolled over onto my side. My shades were still open and the light from the streetlamp lit up the room. As I stared out the window, it began snowing. Sighing again, I got out of bed and walked over to the window. Maybe closing the shades will help. Before I could get them halfway closed, a car pulled into my driveway. At first, I thought it was someone just turning around. But it wasn't. The engine and lights turned off as someone got out of the drivers side. I didn't have my contacts in, so I couldn't tell who it was. I ran over to my bedside table and grabbed my glasses. When I got back to the window, I realized with a loud gasp who it was. It was Gilbert. And it looked as though he was carrying an old-school boom box. He stopped just below my bedroom window, pushed a button on the boom box, and held it above his head. The opening chords of my favorite Coldplay song filled the air. _

_**When you try your best, but you don't succeed  
>When you get what you want, but not what you need<br>When you feel so tired, but you can't sleep  
>Stuck in reverse<strong>_

_**And the tears come streaming down your face  
>When you lose something you can't replace<br>When you love someone, but it goes to waste  
>Could it be worse?<strong>_

"_What the fuck is he doing?" I growled as the chorus kicked in. I spun around, ran out my door, and down the stairs. I pulled my hoodie and boots on, then flew out the front door. As I ran up to him, he sat the boom box down and finished lip-synching the end of the chorus. _

"_What are you doing here?" I hissed at him. _

_He held up one finger and said, "Just give me a minute and a half, then I'll explain everything."_

_I huffed and crossed my arms as he mouthed the words, "**When you're too in love to let it go. But if you never try, you'll never know**"._

_I froze as those words sunk in. Oh my God! Was he really using a song to tell me how he feels? Okay, I have to admit that this was cute. Too damn cute. 'There's no way in hell he came up with this all on his own. I bet Francis helped him.' I thought to myself. Just as the second chorus was flowing into the instrumental bridge, he closed the distance between us and took my face in his hands. And as maroon and sapphire met, he took a deep breath. _

"_Look, I know what you said earlier and I don't give a damn. Ren, you can hide behind that tough façade all you want, but both you and I know it's time to break it down and let somebody help you. And that somebody is me," he paused to take another deep breath, then continued. "Please, please, please don't turn me away."_

_And as the drums and bass kicked in, he pressed his lips to mine. I froze again and tried to fight it, but it was pointless to resist. Groaning in defeat, I kissed him back. After about 45 seconds of playing tonsil hockey, he pulled away. He reached over and wiped away a tear from under my eye. I hadn't even realized I was crying. I took the sleeve of my hoodie and wiped my face off. _

"_Stupid song makes me cry every time." I said, sniffling._

"_Whew, it was just the song. I thought I made you do something you didn't want to do," he said, sniggering. I rolled my eyes as he pulled me into his chest and coiled his arms around my waist. _

"_What in the hell were you thinking? You could've just called, you know," I said, wrapping my arms around his neck. _

"_Yeah, but I needed to prove a point and you can't get something like that across with just a phone call," he said. _

"_True," I agreed. "But did you have to do it in the middle of the night?" I chuckled. _

"_No, I guess not," he laughed. "But when the idea came to me, I had to do it then."_

"_Wait, you thought of this all by your self?" I said, raising an eyebrow. _

"_Sure did," he answered. "No one else could've come up with such an awesome idea."_

"_Are you sure you didn't get the idea from a movie?" I asked, looking up at him._

"_Uhh…" he hesitated. "Hey, since when do you wear glasses?" he asked, trying to change the subject._

"_Since there was a maniac on my front lawn, playing a song for me. I didn't exactly have the time to go put my contacts in," I said through pursed lips. _

"_Oh, okay. Well, you look good in glasses. They make you look distinguished and classy and sexy," he said, smiling that goofy damn grin of his. _

"_Well, thank you," I said, winking. "But you didn't answer my question."_

"_Okay, I may have seen it in a movie. But I changed the song cause I know you like this one better."_

"_I do like it better," I said, standing up on my tip-toes to kiss him again. "Thank you."_

"_So, is that a yes?" he said, grinning again. _

"_Yeah, I guess it is."_

"_Awesome!" he said before kissing me again. _

_This kiss was softer and more romantic. I honestly thought I would never do this. If someone would've told me, the day after the Halloween party, that I'd be kissing Gilbert one day, I would've vomited. But now, I couldn't imagine kissing anyone else. I didn't want to kiss another person. He was the first to pull away again. I shivered when he did. I was too distracted earlier to realize just how effing cold it was out here!_

"_Let's go inside and warn up, kay?" I said, still shivering. _

"_All right, how about I start a fire?" he asked as he let go of me to pick up the boom box. _

"_That sounds awesome," I grinned. _

_He took my hand and lead the way into the house. He closed and locked the door as I kicked my boots off and padded off toward the kitchen. "Do you want some coffee? Or maybe some hot chocolate?" I called once I was in the kitchen. _

"_Hot chocolate sounds good," he answered. _

_When I walked into the living room, there was a roaring fire in the fireplace I rarely used. _

"_Wow, there's no way in hell I could ever get a fire going that good," I said as I handed him his mug of hot chocolate and sat down next to him on the couch. _

"_It's cause I have awesome fire starting skills," he said, smirking and wrapping his arm around my shoulders._

"_Whatever," I said, rolling my eyes and cuddling up closer to him. _

_We sat there for the next few hours and talked. Talked about the upcoming holiday and the party I was throwing in a few days. I complained about not having all the decorations up and I still needed to get a few more. He offered to help me with it. Christmas was his favorite time of year apparently and when I agreed, he babbled on and on about all the ideas he had. We also talked about our wishes for the new year. All he said about that was, "It's gonna be an awesome year." At about 4 'o clock in the morning, we finally fell asleep, curled up in each others arms. _

* * *

><p><strong>So, it was a little bit shorter than the other 2 chapters. But, <strong>**as I said, I hit some writer's block and I'm blaming it on that. ****Please R&R and I'll see y'all next time XD**

**Oh, on a side note, would anybody be interested in reading a prequel of sorts to this? About Ren and Simon's relationship? ****Leave a review or PM me and lemme know :)**_  
><em>


	4. The Day After

**Yay! A new chapter! I didn't think I'd get it out this soon. I started writing 2 other fics, both of which I hope to have posted real soon. And I decided to do something a little different with this chapter. It's only one flashback, instead a multiples. It's also a little shorter. But hopefully, everybody likes it! Enjoy~!**

**Disclaimer:  
><strong>**I do not own Hetalia, sadly :(**

* * *

><p>By the time I finished my coffee, I was warm and toasty. So much so, I decided to continue walking home. I only had a few more blocks to go. When I paid for the coffee, the waitress insisted upon giving me a coffee to-go. When I refused, she said it was on the house, so I had no choice but to take it. I couldn't turn down free coffee. I finished paying and walked back into the blizzard. The snowfall had picked up dramatically since I had been in the café. It reminded me of the weather the day after Gilbert's midnight declaration.<p>

* * *

><p><em>When I woke up, the events from last night came flooding back. I still couldn't believe he had done that. No one had ever done something so sweet for me before. It brought a smile to my face. I opened my eyes and quickly realized I was in my bed. I tried to remember coming up here, but I couldn't. I wondered if Gilbert was still here. Just then, as if to answer my silent question, I heard a soft snore come from behind me. I rolled over as gently as I could and found myself face to face with Gilbert. I laid there for a few minutes, watching his sleeping face. He had the most peaceful expression. As if he didn't have a care in the world. I reached over and delicately brushed the hair out of his eyes. I let my hand rest tenderly on his face and leaned over to kiss his forehead. As I laid my head back on the pillow, he opened his eyes and grinned. <em>

"_Morning," I said smiling back at him. _

"_Mmm," he said groggily. "Mornin'." _

"_Did you sleep alright?"_

"_I think that was the best nights sleep I've gotten in a while," he said yawning. "I swear, this the most comfortable bed I've ever slept in."_

_I grinned again. "That's good, cause there's a good chance you'll be sleeping here occasionally."_

"_Awesome," he said leaning over to kiss my cheek. "How did you sleep?"_

"_Pretty good. I don't even remember coming up here," I said. _

"_You woke up at about 7 this morning, saying something about your back hurting. So, I brought you up here. I figured you needed a good sleep since you said you had long day today," he explained. _

"_Aw shit, that's right!" I said sitting up. "I still need to put the Christmas decorations up and put the finishing touches on the menu for the party."_

"_Well, my offer to help still stands," he said, rubbing circles on my back. _

_I turned to look at him. "Really? Some help would be greatly appreciated."_

"_Then consider me your elf for the day," he said smirking. _

'_Does that mean you'll wear an elf hat without a fight?" I asked, smiling back. _

"_Maybe," he said cutting his eyes at me. "As long as it doesn't become a form of blackmail."_

"_I would never!" I gasped in mock innocence. _

"_Yeah, right!" he laughed. _

_I laughed with him as I reached for my glasses and cell phone. As my phone came to life, I saw the time. "Holy crap! It's 2 already?"_

"_You're fucking kidding me?" he said sitting up. He got out of bed, grabbed his pants from off the floor and pulled his phone out of the pocket. "Damn, I guess it is. And Ludwig's already called me four times."_

"_Well, why don't you call him back while I take a quick shower?" I suggested as I walked over to the window. I opened the shades and was blinded by the bright snow. As my eyes adjusted, I realized we weren't going anywhere today. The wind was blowing so hard, the snow was falling sideways and both of our cars were buried under about 2 feet of snow. "Well, fuck it all!"_

"_What?" he asked walking over to me. "Oh…" was all he said when he got to the window. _

"_Yeah," I said frustrated. "So much for the getting the last few things I needed and putting up the outside decorations. This is what I get for procrastinating."_

"_Well, we'll just have to make due with what you have and add to it before the party."_

"_Guess I have no choice," I sighed. "All right, you call your brother back while I go change and put my hair up."_

"_No shower, then?" he asked as I headed towards the bathroom._

"_Nope, what's the point?" I huffed._

"_I like you logic, babe," he laughed._

_I smiled back at him as I shut the bathroom door. While I was cleaning up, I half-heartedly eavesdropped on his conversation with Ludwig. It seemed as though Ludwig was mad that Gilbert hadn't checked in yet. There was a lot of huffing and yelling in German. I knew enough of the language to understand most of it. For some reason, Gilbert didn't seem willing to tell Ludwig exactly where he was. After about 5 minutes of yelling, he finally bellowed "I'M AT REN'S! HAPPY NOW?" in English. Then he said, "Yes, that Ren. How many Rens do we know?" By that point, I had my face washed, teeth brushed and my hair was in a messy bun at the crown of my head. Deciding to save him from any further embarrassment, I opened the door and headed over to my closet. _

"_I'm about to go help Ren with her Christmas stuff, so I'll call you later," he said, hanging up. "Mein Gott, he acts like he's my mother sometimes."_

"_I used to be like that with the twins. They used to get into a lot of trouble when they were younger," I said, laying multiple outfits on the bed._

"_Well that's okay cause you're the older sibling. He's not."_

"_You've got a point."_

_He sighed. "If you tell me where your Christmas stuff is, I'll pull it all out while you get dressed."_

"_Most of it is in the hall closet downstairs. And I might have a box or two in the garage."_

"_I'm on it," he said, walking over to kiss my forehead. "Hurry up. We've got a lot of work to do." He smacked my butt before walking out the door, closing it behind him. _

_After I finally decided what to wear-my favorite red, long-sleeved, V-neck Henley and jeans-I made my way downstairs. Gilbert had not been idle while I was getting dressed. Not only did he have all the boxes of Christmas decorations in the living room, he had also started another fire. He was standing in front of the big bay window that looked out over my front yard, watching it snow. I walked over and wound my arms around his waist. He reached up to intertwine our fingers. _

"_You know, I could get used to having you around," I said laying my head against his back. _

"_Yeah, me too. The only downfall is having to answer to Ludwig like I'm a teenager."_

"_Maybe it's just his way of showing you his love? He's probably just worried about you, I'd guess," I said squeezing his hand. _

"_No, it's just a way for him to control everything. He's always been a control freak," he said, irritated. _

_Just then I heard his stomach growl. "How about we eat before we get started?" I asked him. _

"_Food sounds awesome."_

_After a lunch of cheese and bacon omelets and cinnamon rolls, we got busy making my house into a Christmas wonderland. While we were hanging the pre-lit garland, I decided it was too quiet and needed some music. I went and grabbed my iPod out of my purse and connected it to the stereo. I suggested that we listen to Christmas music, but he said that was too cliché. So I put on my 'My Chemical Romance' play list. I usually listened to it while I was cleaning. It kept me moving. _

"_Aw, hell yeah!" he said as the first song started. "I fucking love them, babe!"_

_We launched into a discussion about every album, and which one was the best. I like all of them, but he said he liked 'Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge' the best. Even though he liked that one the most, he still knew every word to every song on the other three albums. We sang off key and at the tops of our lungs while we decorated. Before we knew it, it was 5o'clock and we had the garland hung, my Christmas village was set up, the stockings were hung, the plastic snowflakes were on the windows, the wreath was on the front door, and we were deciding where to put the tree. I thought it should go over by the fireplace, in the corner right beside it. "That way, when you walk in the front door, you get the whole view." He thought it should go in front of the bay window. "Cause then, everybody outside can see how awesome it is," was his argument. I thought about it for a minute or two and finally agreed. After assembling and fluffing my artificial, pre-lit tree, we started hanging the ornaments._

"_You know, this is the first time I've ever decorated a Christmas tree with someone other than Ludwig," he mused. "I kinda like it."_

"_A change of pace is always nice," I replied, smiling at him. _

"_It really is," he said, grinning back. "For as far back as I can remember, Ludwig was always the one who had to put the tree topper on. I remember one year, I threw a fit cause he got to do it again. And our grandfather, who raised us, decided that we should do it together. So he picked us both up and we put the angel on top together. We've done it like that ever since then."_

_I smiled as I formed the mental image of it. "I bet you were a handful as a kid, huh?" I teased. _

"_Yeah, kinda," he said grinning sheepishly. "But I was so cute as a little kid."_

"_You're cute now, so I believe it."_

"_I can see you a little hell raiser too, babe. Especially with that feisty temper of yours," he winked._

"_I was," I said nodding my head. "But I was cute too, so I usually got my way. I was a pro at using the puppy dog eyes. They worked the best on my Dad. He was such a sucker for them."_

"_Oh, so you were Daddy's little girl, then?"_

"_Yeah, kinda," I quoted him. _

_While we continued decorating the tree, we swapped stories from our childhood. He told me about the time when he was about 6 years old and decided he was a superhero. He started running through the house, using a towel as a cape and yelling at the top of his lungs, "I'm Mr. Awesome Man!", and Ludwig, who had grown annoyed with Gilberts antics, tripped him. Which resulted in a broken arm and four stitches to the forehead. Then I told him about the time I gave Kaleb a black eye and multiple bruises. I was about 12 and Kaleb had just turned 9. He had ripped the head off of one of the dolls our grandmother had bought for me when I was born. I chased him through the house before managing to tackle him and pummel him half to death. We both ended up being grounded for a month after that. And again, before we knew it, the tree was fully decorated and all that needed to be done was the tree topper. I gave him the honor of doing it because he had never done it by himself before. After standing back to admire our work, we put all the empty boxes in the garage and collapsed on the couch. _

"_Well, that was fun. Thanks for helping," I said, leaning over to kiss his cheek. _

"_You're very welcome," he said grinning._

_I looked up at the clock above the fireplace. It was a little after 6 o'clock. 'I'm kind of hungry.' I thought to myself. _

"_Hey, are you hungry?" I asked Gilbert._

"_Yeah, I could eat something."_

"_Well, I think I might have a couple frozen pizzas. How does that sound?" I said getting up and walking into the kitchen. _

"_That's fine. As long as you have beer," he called as I opened the freezer door. _

"'_As long as you have beer'," I scoffed as I peeked around the door at him. "Look at who're talking to, honey." I pulled the pizzas out, threw them on the counter and opened the pantry. _

"_Do I have beer?" I told him, pulling out a case of the best German beer money could buy. Gilbert walked over and just stood there, openly gaping at the beer. _

"_I underestimated you, baby. You have excellent taste in beer," he said crouching down to examine the bottle closer. "And you even knew not to refrigerate it."_

"_Well, duh! What kind of German would I be if I did?" I said walking back over to the pizzas. _

"_Not a very good one," he said opening one and handing it to me. _

"_My mother taught me well." I said smirking. _

_While we ate, I pulled out my recipe book and a notebook to finish the menu for the party. I decided to have most of the traditional Christmas stuff: eggnog, spiced rum punch, red velvet cupcakes, Christmas cookies, and a cheese and veggie platter. But I also thought I should include a few of my favorite traditional German Christmas dishes, like Christstollen, Lebkuchen, and Schesischer Striezal. And Gilbert even offered to make Königsberger Marzipan, which he always makes this time of year. I had had it before and liked it, so I agreed. _

_After dinner, I looked out the front window and saw that the storm still hadn't let up and it didn't look like it was going to anytime soon. _

"_Looks like you might have to spend the night again," I said, still looking out the window. _

_Gilbert walked over and turned me around to face him. He wrapped his arms around my waist. "I think I can deal with it." he said before locking our lips in a passionate kiss. The kiss had caught me off guard and it took me a second to respond to it. I kissed him back as I ran my hands up and down his back. It had been awhile since I had been kissed like this, so I was enjoying it. I let my hands trail up his back and into his hair, tangling them in his silver locks as he deepened the kiss. I groaned in disappointment as he pulled away from my lips to kiss down my jaw line and my neck. Then I gasped as he managed to find my sweet spot with ease. As much as I was enjoying this, I had to stop it. I untangled my hands from his hair and pulled him away from my neck to look him in the eyes. _

"_What?" he said, confused. _

"_Not right now, okay?" I said breathlessly. _

"_Seriously?" he whined._

"_I'm not saying no, just not right now," I said as I pulled away from him to walk over to the couch._

_"__Why not?" he demanded. "It seemed like you were enjoying yourself."_

"_I was," I said as I sat down on the couch. "But sex tends to complicate things. And we just started dating, so I don't want to ruin things before they even have the chance to begin."_

_Gilbert sighed as he sat down next to me. "I guess you do have a point."_

"_Like I said, I'm not saying no to it, just not right now."_

"_It's cool. I understand," he said dejectedly._

"_I'm sorry," I said reaching over to run my fingers through the back of his hair._

"_Don't apologize. Like I said, I understand," he said grinning at me. _

"_Hey, why don't you call Ludwig and let him know you're staying here again? Cause if you don't, he'll be pissed. And while you do that, I'll pick out a movie for us to watch, kay?"_

"_All right," he said reaching into his pocket. _

_After he called Ludwig, we curled up on the couch to watch 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail', and after that we were going to watch 'The Princess Bride'. About halfway through 'The Princess Bride', my phone rang and it was Mattie. I was just going to ignore it until Gilbert told me I should answer it._

"_You haven't talked to him in a few days, right?" _

"_True," I said before answering it. "Hey, Mattie!"_

"_Hi, Ren!" Mattie said brightly. "What're you up to?"_

"_Nothing much. Just watching a movie with Gilbert," I answered while smirking at Gilbert. _

"_Gilbert? Really?" he said curiously. "Maybe I should let you go…"_

"_No it's fine," I said "He's been here all day, so he'll get over it." I winked at Gilbert, who just laughed silently. _

"_All day?" Mattie said shocked. "Why?"_

"_Well, he kinda spent the night last night and he helped me put up all of my Christmas decorations today," I explained. "And he's spending tonight here too."_

"_He spent the night?" Mattie said in a flat voice. _

"_Yeah," I said sheepishly. I looked at Gilbert and leaned my head to one side. He raised an eyebrow at me as I contemplated telling Mattie about us. "I guess…. Gilbert and I are… kinda going out now?" A wide grin spread across Gilberts face as he busted out laughing._

"_As in, like, dating?" Mattie asked._

"_Yes," I said._

"_Really? How did that happen?"_

"_It's a long story. I'll explain it all over coffee one day this week. Or you can come over tomorrow, if you want."_

"_Okay, sounds good," he said excitedly. _

"_I'll call you tomorrow, kay?"_

" _All right, I'll talk to you then, sweetie! Bye!"_

"_Bye, Mattie!" I said before hanging up. _

"_What was with that hesitation? Don't you want people to know we're together?" Gilbert asked as I threw my phone back on the coffee table. _

"_No, I want people to know," I said, "But I didn't want to tell him over the phone."_

"_Why not?" he asked._

"_Cause Mattie and I have always talked about stuff like that over coffee. We don't discuss things like that over the phone. It's been like that ever since we met."_

"_Oh…" was all he said. I was glad he dropped the subject and turned the movie back on. I didn't quite have to heart to tell him that Mattie and I had dated at one point, before I met Simon. We dated for about two months before deciding we were better off as friends. I didn't know at the time that he would become my best friend. I was kinda glad we didn't continue our relationship. It would've ruined things between us, I think. That got me thinking about the kiss with Gilbert earlier. Would sex really complicate things between us? Or would it make our connection even better? As my hormones got the better of me, I decided the latter. I closed my eyes and leaned my head back against his arm. _

"_You ready to go to bed?" he asked._

"_Yeah, but I don't want to sleep," I said opening my eyes to look at him. _

_His eyes widened as he understood what I said. "Really now? And what did you have in mind?"_

"_Well," I said as I sat up and moved over to straddle his waist. "I think you can figure it out." Then I pressed my lips to his in a searing kiss.  
><em>

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><p><strong>Well, hope you liked it! Please review~! See y'all next time! :D<strong>_  
><em>


	5. Doughnuts and Kidnapped

**Oh em effin' gee! I'm soooo sorry this chapter is late. I had a hard time writing it for some reason. That, and I started ****writing another fic, which I'm about to upload. So yeah, I hope you like it. The next update should be within the next few days. Hopefully...**

**Oh, and I would like to thank everyone who's reviewed. I truly appreciate all your kind words~**

**Disclaimer Time:**

**I do not own Hetalia or any of the characters. Or any of the songs used :D**

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><p>'All right, two more blocks to go.' I thought to myself as I pulled my coat tighter around myself. I was glad it was Friday. Glad that I didn't have to get up early and fight my way through the snow to get to work. Cause this blizzard didn't show signs of stopping anytime soon. We're probably going to wake up to find six feet of snow tomorrow and six more to come. Gilbert, Kaleb, and Alfie would definitely beg me to go snowboarding with them. And I would give in, dragging Mattie along with me. That reminded me of the day after our first night together. While I stood at the corner, waiting for my chance to cross, I thought about that morning and how I woke up alone.<p>

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><p><em>I woke up expecting to be curled up with Gilbert, but I was alone. And really, really sore. Rolling over on my back, wincing slightly, I tried to remember him leaving, but I couldn't. Why would he leave without waking me up? Maybe he tried. I usually slept like the dead. Maybe he just didn't want to wake me up? That would make sense. Or maybe… No, I stopped that thought dead in it's tracks. He didn't leave because he had finally gotten what he wanted: sex. Sure, he could be an ass sometimes, but he wasn't that big of an ass, right? As my mind began to race, a laugh from downstairs startled me. There was no mistaking that laugh. It was Gilbert. 'See, he's not a big, fat jerk after all.' I told myself. The sound of his voice brought back a flurry of memories from last night and sent my heart racing. The experience, to put it in his words, was awesome. After the initial awkwardness, everything kind of fell into place. It was exactly what I expected from him. Rough and lust filled. After being with Simon for so long, I had grown accustomed to rough sex. But, it was different with Gilbert. With Simon, he was more domineering. Because that's how it had to be, he had to control everything. And God forbid if I didn't comply. But with Gilbert, it was more of a 'God-I-want-you-so-bad' rough sex. He wasn't forceful about it. Which was nice for a change. And afterwards, as we were lying there in each others arms, he started singing 'I Just Had Sex' by Lonely Island. Talk about ruining the mood. It was pretty hilarious, though. As I sat up, a different voice drifted up the stairs. <em>

"_I'll go see if she's awake yet." My sister, Kayla, said walking down the hallway. I quickly jumped out of bed and grabbed my robe of the back of the bathroom door. I was brushing me teeth when she knocked on the door. _

"_Come in," I mumbled with a mouth full of toothpaste. _

"_Hey sis! Good morning!" she chirped brightly. She walked over to lean on the doorway to bathroom. _

"_Hey. What're you doing here?" I asked after I rinsed out my mouth. _

"_It's Sunday, remember? Our weekly siblings breakfast? It's your turn to cook." Kayla frowned. _

"_Oh my God, kid! I completely forgot!" I groaned while brushing my hair. _

"_It's okay. It seems like you had a good reason for forgetting," She smirked, eyeing the red marks on my neck and chest. "Gilbert?"_

_I rolled my eyes as I twisted my hair up into a clippie. "Yes, Gilbert. Why does that seem to surprise everybody?"_

"_Because of the way you acted the day after the Halloween party."_

"_Yeah, but we've been hanging out so much lately that it really shouldn't be that big of a shock to people." Her gaze followed me as I brushed past her to head towards my dresser. I was in need of clean pajamas._

"_Maybe it's cause he's a lot like Simon…" Kayla said hesitantly. _

_I turned to glare at my younger sister. "Gilbert is nothing like Simon!" I growled, slamming the dresser drawer shut. _

"_All right. I'm sorry!" she quickly apologized. _

"_Don't worry about it. I just wish people would stop comparing him to Simon," I sighed, pulling my Stewie Griffin pajama pants on. I threw my robe on the bed and grabbed my black tank-top. "So, what do y'all want for breakfast?"_

"_Oh, Gilbert already took care of it," she smirked._

"_He did?" I said skeptically raising an eyebrow. _

"_Yeah, he pulled in ahead of us and had doughnuts and chocolate milk."_

"_No shit, dude?" I laughed pulling my tank top over my head. _

"_Yep, so you better get down there before they eat all of them."_

"_I'll kill 'em!" I yelled as I ran out the door._

_When we walked into the kitchen, Gilbert and Kaleb were sitting at the table, talking excitedly about something. They looked up as we walked towards them. Gilbert looked down at my pajama pants and sniggered. I stuck my tongue out at him. _

"_Ren!" Kaleb yelled as he jumped up and ran over to me. He almost knocked me down when he wrapped his arms around my neck. _

"_Hey, Kaleb!" I said, kissing his sandy blonde hair. "Did you save me a doughnut?"_

"_Yeah, Gilbert pulled yours out before I could eat it," He pouted as he sat back down. _

"_Really now?" I grinned at Gilbert. I reached over to run my hand through his hair and leaned down to kiss his lips. "Thanks, baby."_

"_Anytime, beautiful." Gilbert smirked as he handed me the custard filled Long John he got for me. As we shared our brief moment of PDA, my siblings quickly distracted themselves: Kayla began picking her blueberry doughnut apart and Kaleb became busy with his phone._

"_So," I said, sitting down between Gilbert and Kayla. "What were you two talking about a minute ago?"_

"_Snowboarding!" Kaleb exploded excitedly. "I was trying to talk Gilbert into going with Alfie and I later."_

"_And I was telling him that I hadn't been home all weekend and, therefore, I have a ton of shit I gotta do."_

"_C'mon," Kaleb whined. "If you've put it off this long, what's a few more hours gonna do?"_

_Gilbert sat there for a second or two before answering. "Ya know, kid. You have a point," he nodded his head in agreement. "Fuck it. I'll go!"_

"_Sweet!" Kaleb sang before turning to me. "Whadya say, sis? Come with us. Mattie can come too. It'll be fun."_

"_Oh no," I laughed. "You may be able to talk Gilbert into it with your convoluted logic. But not me. I have to go grocery shopping, pick up a few last minute Christmas gifts, and ugh, not to mention wrapping all the gifts! The laundry needs to be done and Mattie's coming over this afternoon. So, you'll have to go have fun without me." _

"_Aw, you suck, Ren," Kaleb pouted. _

"_I love you too, bro," I smiled at him. _

_While we ate, Gilbert and Kaleb continued talking about snowboarding, and Kayla was telling about her plans for this afternoon. Her and Lilli, her best friend, were going shopping for new outfits to wear to my party. I swear, those girls will come up with any excuse to go shopping. As soon as we were done eating, Kaleb jumped up and said he needed to go. I frowned. They usually stayed for awhile after breakfast, but Kaleb was just too keyed up about this afternoon to sit still. After a kiss to each of my siblings head and a stern warning to Kaleb, "Be careful and pay attention to what you're doing! I don't want to get a call from Gilbert or Alfie, telling me that you ran into a tree.", they ran out the door and sped off, leaving Gilbert and I alone. _

"_Well, as much as I don't want to, I should probably get going too," Gilbert sighed as we stood in the entryway. "Kaleb's gonna call me within the next thirty minutes, wondering if I'm ready yet. Hell, I won't even be home yet in thirty minutes!"_

"_Yeah, he's pretty stoked about this afternoon," I chuckled, wrapping my arms around his waist. "Thanks for breakfast, by the way."_

"_Don't mention it," he grinned. "You had a long day yesterday, and a very long night, so I thought you might like to sleep in."_

"_I did, but I hated waking up alone," I frowned at him. _

"_I bet you thought I'd left you," he laughed. "Admit it. You did."_

"_All right, I did," I said sheepishly. _

"_I knew it," he said, pulling me closer to him. "I wouldn't do that to you."_

"_That's what I told myself. But a part of me didn't believe it," I sighed. _

_Gilbert's eyes narrowed slightly. "You don't trust me, do you?"_

_I hesitated. I had a feeling this would come up eventually. "Well, no. Not really." Gilbert scowled and opened his mouth to say something, but I interrupted him. _

"_Before you say anything, let me explain. I don't particularly trust anyone. And especially not men. It all goes back to my previous experiences with the other guys that I've dated," I took a deep breath and stared at the floor before continuing. "More specifically, my relationship with Simon. He told me at the beginning that he'd never hurt me and all that crap. But he lied. He hurt me more than anyone ever has, and it's something I can't seem to get past. This was what I was talking about the other night when I said I had some things I needed to work on. My trust issues were number one on that list. But it's not to say that I won't learn to trust you. It's just that it may take some time for me to get to that point. That's all." _

_Gilbert placed a finger under my chin and lifted my head. His expression softened as he looked me in the eyes. "I won't hurt you, Ren. I'm not like him. Or anybody else, for that matter. I won't raise a hand against you, I won't cheat on you, or lie to you. Yeah, I may be a bit of an asshole sometimes, but I don't hurt the people I care about." _

"_And I want to believe you, but I just can't," I sighed. _

_He tightened his arms around me waist. "Then that's my goal: to make you trust me," Gilbert said in a determined voice. _

"_I hope you succeed. Cause I would love nothing more than to believe every word that comes out of your mouth. No matter how farfetched it is," I grinned. _

"_Remember what I told you the other night? About how I'll help you through this? I meant it. Every damn word of it. You're not doing this alone," he said, resting his forehead on mine. "I will try to fix you, Ren."_

"_I know you will," I whispered before pressing my lips to his. _

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><p>The next few days were super hectic. I was trying desperately to get everything together in time for the party. If I hadn't had Gilbert and the twins helping me, I wouldn't have had the time to do it all. But because of them, the party went off without a hitch. Everybody showed up and we had an awesome time. There's nothing better than good food, good music, and good friends. The only thing that struck me as odd was the way Gilbert and Ludwig were acting. The only times Gilbert left my side were when Ludwig would come over, whisper something in his ear, and then they would go outside to Gilberts car. They'd be out there, looking at something in the backseat for a few minutes, then come back in. Over the course of four hours, they did that six times. After the fourth time, I asked Gilbert if everything was okay and he just grinned and said everything was awesome. When everybody had left and Kayla, Lilli, Kaleb, and Alfie had gone to bed-they were spending the night-I asked Gilbert about the car thing again and he finally gave me a straight answer.<p>

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><p>"<em>Seriously, I wanna know," I whined. "It's been bugging me all night, dude!"<em>

_Gilbert sighed and looked at his watch. "All right, it's officially Christmas Eve, so I guess I can tell you. Or, show you." He stood up and walked towards the door, leaving me sitting there, very confused. He went out to his car and came back with a big box that had holes cut in the sides. I raised an eyebrow when he sat back down and place the box between us. _

"_Merry Christmas, babe," he grinned. I just grinned back as I hesitated to open the box._

"_Well, go on," he laughed. "Open it!"_

_I bit my lower lip and grasped the lid in my hands. As I started to lift it, I heard a soft mewl come from the box. I gasped and looked at Gilbert. He was wearing the biggest grin I'd ever seen. _

"_No you didn't?" I asked, lifting the lid off completely to reveal a snow white kitten. I squealed and scooped the kitten up. It had the brightest red eyes I'd ever seen on a cat and a scar over it's left eye. He kind of reminded me of Gilbert. I clutched the kitten to my chest and he nuzzled his head into the hollow of my neck. _

"_Aw, he's absolutely adorable, Gilbert!" I gushed. "Thank you so much!" I leaned over to kiss him. _

"_You're very welcome," he said, scratching he kitten's head. "When I saw how sad you were after Sebastian died, I told myself that I would replace him. I had totally planned to get you a cat before now, but you have no clue how hard it is to find an albino cat. Remember when Ludwig was out of town last weekend?" I nodded my head. How could I forget? It's was when we started dating. "Yeah, that's what he was doing. He had to fly halfway across the country to get him."_

"_Oh my God! Seriously?" I laughed. "I totally owe him a case of beer."_

"_Not really, but he won't turn it down," he grinned. "So, what're you gonna name him?"_

"_Hmm, I don't know," I said, tilting my head to the side. I held my arms out and looked at the kitten. "What do you think about 'Gustav'? We can call him Gus-Gus for short."_

"_I like that. It's got a nice ring to it. And, it's also a German name," he smirked._

"_Gustav it is, then." Gus-Gus mewled in response. _

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><p>Christmas was pretty normal. After exchanging gifts Christmas morning, Ludwig came over and spent the day with us. We had a steady stream of people coming in and out. Lilli and her brother, Vash, stopped by. Mattie and Alfie stopped by too. And they all stayed for dinner. I had cooked too much, as usual, and they had commented on how good everything smelled and looked. I couldn't deny someone a Christmas dinner. After Lillie and Vash left, we all got drunk and sang Christmas songs. I managed to get a video of Ludwig singing 'Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas' and I totally planned on using it as blackmail. Then Kayla got video of Gilbert chasing me around the kitchen, trying to get payback after I shoved a cupcake in his face. So all in all, it was an awesome Christmas.<p>

Then, in just a few days time, it was time to get ready for New Years Eve. Gilbert and Ludwig were throwing the party this year, so it was destined to be an awesome party. Too bad I wasn't there…

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><p><em>While I was curling my hair in preparation for the party, my phone rang. <em>

"_Mother fucker I'm awesome!  
>Not you're not dude, don't li-"<em>

_I knew instantly that it was Gilbert. "What's up, babe?" I answered. _

"_Ren, I need you to do me a HUGE favor. Could you stop by the store on your way over and pick up some stupid cherry tomatoes? Ludwig's flippin' his shit cause I forget them." I could hear Ludwig in the background, cussing up a storm in German. _

"_Sure, no problem," I laughed. _

"_Gott, you're a life saver," he sighed. _

"_I'll be over in a little while, 'kay?"_

"_Sounds good. Be careful, all right? The roads are getting crazy out there."_

"_I always am," I promised before hanging up. _

_Everything was going smoothly until I walked out of the grocery store. When I got to my car, I froze when I saw someone sitting in the drivers seat. There was a flash of headlights and it illuminated the driver. It was Simon. My stomach knotted immediately. This can't be good. I thought to myself. He had stopped following me after he killed Sebastian, so Gilbert figured he was done. I knew better than to think that. I knew he wasn't done with me yet. I jumped when the car started-how did he get a key-and I heard the distinct whirring of an automatic window being rolled down. I slowly walked towards the passenger side door. I looked in and saw Simon sitting behind the wheel with his usual serene expression. And in his lap was a gun. That's when I started to panic. Simon turned to look at me._

"_Hello, Renata. Could you please get in the car? I'd like to go for a little ride."_

_I reached for the door handle and hesitated. I didn't have a good feeling about this. I wonder if it's too late to run and call the police. _

"_I know what you're thinking, and it's too late to run. Now, please get in. I don't have all night," he said politely. _

_I took a deep breath and got in the car. As soon as I closed the door, he locked it and rolled the window back up. _

"_First things first, your phone, please," he said, holding his hand out. "I can't have you trying to call someone for help." I sighed as I reached in my pocket and handed him my phone. I'm really screwed now. _

"_Thank you," he said taking the phone and putting it in his coat pocket. "Now, let's get this show on the road."_

"_Where are you taking me?" I asked as we pulled out of the parking lot._

"_Now, if I told you that, it would ruin the surprise, love," he chuckled. _

_Simon was silent as we drove through town. From the direction we were heading, it looked as though he planned to take me out of town. Definitely not good. I have to find a way out of here. But my brain wasn't working. I couldn't think of anyway to get out of this situation. After we had driven about 15 miles out of the city limits, he turned onto the dirt road that led to the state park and my mind began racing again. If he was planning to take me into the woods, I would have the advantage. I knew my way around the park like it was the back of my hand. He didn't. I would just have to get away from him somehow. And manage to get my phone back in the process. I wondered if Gilbert had realized something was wrong by now. I looked down at the clock on the dashboard and saw that I should've been to his house over an hour ago. Surely he would. Simon began to ramble as he drove too fast down the winding, pitch black road. _

"_You know, when you left me, I was devastated. Renata, I loved you. I still do. That's why I was following you. I just wanted the chance to talk to you. A chance to explain some things to you. But you were never alone. Always with someone. And especially after the Halloween party, you and that albino were inseparable. I was heartbroken when I realized you two were dating. I wanted nothing more than to have you back. I started racking my brain, trying to come up with a way to get you back. After a week or so, I finally came to the conclusion I was looking for: if I can't have you, then no one can." He sped up even more after we passed the sign for the bridge. "This is the only way we can finally be together again. Forever." Simon took the curve before the bridge driving 65 miles an hour. My stomach dropped when the bridge came into view. I finally realized what he we planning. _

"_Simon, wait," my hysteric voice called over the sound of the groaning engine. "Let's talk about this, okay? Slow down and pull over. You wanted to talk, right? Here's your chance. Just pullover please!"_

"_NO!" he bellowed. "This is the only way we can be together!" As soon as we drove onto the bridge, Simon jerked the steering wheel to the right. We smashed through the guardrail and plummeted towards the frigid water below. My head flew forward and hit the dashboard right as the airbags deployed, causing my head to be sent flying back against the seat. Through the pain in my head, and the haze starting to obstruct my vision, I started fumbling with my seat-belt. When I got it unbuckled, Simon reached over and grabbed my wrists. _

"_You're not getting away, Renata!"_

"_Let go!" I screeched. _

"_Only way we can be together. Only way we can be together," he began to chant with a manic look covering his face. _

_I gasped as the water began seeping into the car. Before I knew it, the water was up to my chest and I started to hyperventilate. I started to struggle with Simon even more as I thought of my friends and family. And Gilbert. They needed me. And I needed them. The water reached my chin and I took a deep breath before it managed to cover my mouth and nose. And soon, the car was completely underwater. After a few seconds, Simon finally let go of my wrists and I immediately tried opening the door. It wouldn't budge. I repositioned myself and tried to kick the glass out. Nothing. So I moved on to the windshield. Still, nothing. I kept trying until my lungs began to burn, running out of oxygen. I quickly looked around to find a different way out, but I saw none. Without thinking, I gasped and water rushed into my mouth and throat, causing me to choke. Then, with the faces of my family, friends, and Gilbert flashing in my head, everything started to fade to just a blurry haze. Before I was completely unconscious, I felt a pair of hands grab the front of my coat and then everything was black. _

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><p><strong>Sorry it was shorter than the other chapters. Anyway, thanks for reading. And don't forget to R&amp;R, please!<br>See y'all next time~!**_  
><em>


	6. Waking up and An Awesome Birthday

**Okay, so I had totally planned on having this posted two days ago. But a snowstorm came through Tuesday night and dumped a little over 9 inches of snow. Resulting in a power and Internet outage. But everything's up and running, so yay! **

**And I just want to thank everybody who has reviewed and sent me messages about this fic. It's nice to know that people are actually liking this and want to read it. It motivates me to write, which means quicker updates. **

**Translations:  
>Mutti- Mother<br>Mein Engel- My angel  
>Ludwig, gehen zu sagen Gilbert, sie ist wach.- Ludwig, go tell Gilbert she's awake.<br>Spatzi- Little sparrow  
>Gott verdammt, Frau!- God dammit, woman!<br>Vatti- Father  
>Ich liebe dich- I love you<br>Ich liebe dich auch- I love you too**

**Disclaimer Time:  
>I do not own Hetalia or any of the characters. <strong>

**So, without further ado, here's the chapter, it seems, you've all been waiting for! :D  
><strong>

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><p><em>Beep… beep… beep… beep…<em>

_Ugh, stupid alarm clock. I tried to roll over, but something pulling my arm back prevented me from doing so. Confused, I let my eyes flutter open and I quickly realized I wasn't in my own bed. I was in a brightly lit, boring hospital room. The obnoxiously bright light above me caused my head to pound fiercely. I looked around and saw that my favorite flower, yellow roses, were all over the room in various different vases and bouquets. Along with a dozen get well cards. And I was alone. Trying to remember how I got here, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath causing my throat and lungs to ache. I pretty much remembered everything. But it got fuzzy after we hit the water. Wait, didn't someone grab the front of my coat as I blacked out?_

_I kept my eyes closed as I heard two sets of footsteps approaching. One set stopped on my right, followed by the sound of metal scraping the floor and a soft sigh. The other footsteps stopped to my left, then I heard wheels coming closer to my bed. Whoever was to my right took my hand and squeezed it. I got a whiff of a very familiar scent. I had smelled that particular aroma my entire childhood and always took great comfort in it. My mother was here. I squeezed her hand back and opened my eyes once more. She gasped and tears welled up in her eyes. _

"_Oh, Mutti," I croaked. "Don't cry." _

_She stoop up and came over to sit on the edge my bed. "Mein Engel," she sighed, placing a cold hand on my cheek. "Ludwig, gehen zu sagen Gilbert, sie ist wach."_

_Ludwig? I looked over to my left as I heard the wheels again. He looked down at me and smiled slightly. "Ja gnädige Frau," he said as he rushed around the end of the bed and then out the door. _

_I looked back to my mother. "Gilbert's here?"_

"_Of course. He's asleep in the waiting room. It's the first time he's left your side since we got here," she said, raising a suspicious eyebrow at me. "I didn't know you had such good German friends here."_

"_That's what you get for gallivanting around Europe for three months," I said sourly. At the end of every September, my parents take their annual three month European trip. They spend six weeks in Berlin, and then the last six weeks in the small town in Ireland where my Dad grew up. _

_My Mom's eyes softened as she smiled at the scowl on my face. "How are you feeling, spatzi?"_

"_Well, other than the pounding in my head, the fire in my throat and my lungs hurting like crazy, I'm just peachy," I said, still scowling at her._

"_There's the sarcastic Renata we all know and love."_

_I smiled a little and rolled my eyes. "How long have I been out?"_

_Before my mother could even answer, an exhausted looking Gilbert burst into the room. I felt a surge of joy and relief when I saw his face. _

"_Ren," he sighed. He then rushed over to me, cupped my face in his hands, and pressed his lips to my forehead. "Gott verdammt, Frau! You scared the shit outta me!"_

_I frowned at him. "I'm sorry, but when someone has a gun, you kind of have to do what they say."_

"_Why don't we give them some time alone, ja?" I heard Ludwig ask my Mom. I didn't turn to look at them. I was too busy watching Gilbert's face flush red with anger. _

"_Ja, I need to call her father and the twins anyway," she said, standing up. After a few seconds, we were alone. With his face still flushed, Gilbert sat down on the edge of the bed. He just sat there, staring at his feet. Then, he took a deep breath before speaking. _

"_I never thought he'd take it this far," he said quietly, looking over at me. "I'm sorry I didn't believe you when you said he wasn't done yet. You obviously knew him better."_

"_Yes," I agreed. "But even if you had believed me, I don't think it would've made any difference. So don't apologize. It's not your fault."_

"_I should've been there with you that night. I would've been had Ludwig not needed my help," he growled. _

"_Oh my God," I sighed. "Have you been blaming yourself this entire time? Look, there's a good chance it would've happened anyway. He had a gun for chrissakes! He would've shot you and taken me. It's better that you weren't there, actually."_

_Gilbert was silent for a few seconds. I took the opportunity to slightly change the subject. "So, how did I end up here? We were out in the middle of the state park. Who found us?" I asked, finally remembering that someone had, in fact, grabbed my coat. _

"_Apparently, the guy was a friend of Simons. Berwald, I think his name was," he explained in a flat voice. "According to him, Simon had sent him an email, telling him his plans. So Berwald, and their friend Timo, rushed out there, hoping to stop Simon before he could do anything stupid. They showed up right as the car was going under. They jumped in and pulled you out. But by the time they got back to Simon, it was too late. He was already dead."_

"_Berwald and Timo?" I asked, confused. While Simon and I were together, I always got along well with Timo. It was hard not to like that kid. But not so much with Berwald. To be quite honest, Berwald always intimidated me. He never really talked much when I was around. I always thought he didn't like me. So to hear that he had, in all actuality, saved my life, was a lot to process. "Wait, Simon's dead?" I added. _

"_Yeah, dead," Gilbert nodded his head. _

_Simon? Dead? So he really had meant what he said. I breathed a sigh of relief as I let that sink in. Simon was dead. Which meant it was finally over. I would never see him following me again. Or see him standing across the street from my house. I could stop looking over my shoulder all the time. I could let go of this paranoia and anxiety and start rebuilding my life. Finally, I could turn the page and start a new chapter. Tears pooled in my eyes at the prospect of being able to put myself back together and move on. _

"_Why are you crying?" Gilbert asked, looking thoroughly freaked out. "Don't tell me you're actually sad he's dead?"_

"_Oh God, no," I said incredulously. "Just the opposite. I can finally move on and never have to worry about him again."_

"_Damn straight," Gilbert said, smirking. "It looks as though I might be able to accomplish my goals after all."_

"_As much as I hate to admit it, you may actually, finally, be right about that." _

_Gilbert scooted closer to me and wrapped his arms around me. I wound my arms around his waist and rested my head on his shoulder. "So, can you explain to me why I was unconscious for three days?"_

"_Oh, your doctor said something about a major concussion and some swelling of your brain. They decided to keep you sedated until they could get the swelling under control," he explained. "They think you hit your head on something. But they weren't sure because you didn't have any visible cuts or bumps. Did you?"_

"_Yeah, I think I did. I really can't remember much of what happened after we hit the water," I sighed. "But if I did, that would explain why my head hurts so bad."_

"_Maybe I should have your Mutti call a nurse and get you some pain meds," he said thoughtfully. _

"_No, it'll just make me tired and I don't want to go back to sleep," I pouted like a 4 year old. "Oh, speaking of my mother, what do you think about her?"_

"_Marlene is awesome," he chuckled. "She reminds me of you. And you two look identical, except for the age difference and the fact that your hair is black."_

_I sniggered. "God, she got so pissed when I dyed I my hair black. I guess I was like, 16 or 17. I got tired of people telling me how much I looked like her and, in a fit of teenage rebellion, I dyed it black." I reached up, pulled a lock of my hair down and twirled it in my fingers. "What would you do if I said I was thinking about going back to my natural color?"_

"_I take it your natural color is the same as your Moms?"_

_I nodded my head. "Yep, light blonde."_

"_I don't know what I'd do," he said slowly. "But, I guess if that's what you wanna do, I can't stop you." Then he shrugged his shoulders. "Although, I do like it black. It makes your eyes stand out." _

"_Yeah, people tell me that all the time," I said still staring at the lock of hair. "I think I will go back blonde. And if I don't like it, I can always dye it black again."_

"_Going blonde is gonna be one helluva change," he said, pulling me tighter to his chest. "But, I'll get used to it."_

_I smiled to myself. Well, he passed that test. I had asked Simon that same exact question when we started getting serious. He freaked the fuck out. He starting ranting and raving about how he hated blonde girls and was with me cause I had dark hair. That was the first time I saw that other side of his personality; the angry, controlling side. I had always found his hatred of blonde girls so weird. Considering he himself had blonde hair. The sound of the door opening brought me back to reality. My mother poked her head inside the door. _

"_Spatzi, sorry to interrupt, but your Vatti's on the way. And your doctor will be in to check on you in a few minutes," she said softly. _

"_Oh, thanks Mutti," I smiled at her. "You two can come back in, if you want."_

"_Are you sure?" she asked, eyeballing the way Gilbert and I were still wrapped up in each others arms. _

"_Yeah, I'm sure," I said, continuing to smile at her as I pulled away from Gilbert to sit cross-legged in the middle of the bed. He grabbed my hand and intertwined our fingers. My mother walked over and sat back down in the chair. Ludwig just stood at the end of my bed, with his arms folded over his chest. He looked me in the eyes and his expression became serious. _

"_Ren, exactly how much do you remember about the accident? And about what happened beforehand?" Ludwig asked hesitantly. _

_I took a deep breath, squeezed Gilbert's hand, and told them all I could remember. Like I said, I pretty much remembered everything, until we smashed into the guardrail. Then it all gets fuzzy and I can only remember bits and pieces. It was frustrating not being able to remember every little detail. But they assured me that I would eventually get those memories back. But a part of me didn't want those memories back. There was probably a good reason as to why I was blocking them in the first place. _

_Before they could ask anymore questions, my doctor came in. He looked like he was around my parents age, with dark brown hair, which was graying in some spots, and bright, friendly green eyes. He asked me the usual questions while he checked me over: how are you feeling and does anything hurt? Blah, blah, blah. When I told him my head was pounding, he said he'd send a nurse in with some pain medication. When I told him that I didn't want to take anything that would put me back to sleep, he assured me it was nothing more than normal Tylenol. He also told me pretty much everything Gilbert had told me about the brain swelling and all of that. But he added that the latest tests showed that I might have a slight skull fracture. He wanted to run another test, just to be sure. And if everything checked out, he said that I could go home within the next day or two. I fervently hoped everything was all right, cause I wanted nothing more than to put this whole nightmarish ordeal behind me and get back to my life._

_After making a few notes in my chart, he left. About five minutes later, a nurse came in and gave me the pain meds. I took them without fuss, simply because the frantic pounding between my ears was becoming unbearable. As she opened the door to walk out, my father ran into her. The second he saw me, a joyful smile spread over his face. After running a hand through his strawberry blonde hair, he rushed over to me, apologized for not being there when I woke up, and fiercely embraced me. The twins arrived ten minutes after my Dad, and Mattie and Alfie were with them. Alfie had somehow managed to smuggle in some McDonald's for me. Which was awesome cause I was starving by that point. _

_It felt great to sit there, surrounded by my friends and family. We laughed, joked and made plans for after I was released. It was a sign of good things to come. Simon was gone, which meant I could finally start living again. I had survived his final attempt to destroy me and I could move on, without ever having to look back. _

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><p>As I turned onto the street we lived on, I noticed there was only one car in the driveway. Where in the hell could Gilbert be? What on earth was so important that he felt the need to get out in this weather? I hope he's not out looking for me. Or worse, stuck in a ditch somewhere. I walked up the porch stairs and thanked God that Gilbert was smart enough to leave the porch light on. I reached into my cavernous purse and managed to find my keys in only a few seconds. Usually, it took me a few minutes to find them. Stupid, massive ass purse.<p>

I unlocked the door and walked into the house that Gilbert and I called home. After the accident, he was always here. Hell, he even helped me bleach my hair. And he helped me dye it auburn when I didn't like the blonde. Then black again when I didn't like the auburn either. So when his birthday came around a few weeks later, I decided to make it his permanent residence.

* * *

><p><em>I was lounging on the couch, channel surfing, complete with a sleeping Gus-Gus on my lap, when my doorbell rang. <em>

"_Oh, that must be Ludwig," I said, sitting up. Gus woke with a start and glared at me as I made him get up. _

_After I told Ludwig what I was planning for Gilbert's birthday, he offered to help me. Ever since the accident, Ludwig had decided to try and have a personal, non-work related relationship with me. Even though he always seemed to have a proverbial stick up his ass, once you got to know him, he wasn't so bad. _

_I opened the door and Ludwig was standing there with a rolling backpack and wearing a very businessman like expression on his face. _

"_Hello, Renata. Did you get everything on the list I gave you?" he asked, stepping inside the door. _

"_Yep, sure did," I answered, taking his coat. "Did _you _remember everything?"_

"_You should know better than to ask me that," he scoffed as he headed towards the kitchen. I chuckled as I followed him._

"_Thanks for offering to make the cake."_

"_Don't mention it," he mumbled. I only recently learned that Ludwig like to bake. And I must say, the man was good at it. You'd never know it by just looking at him. I mean, if you saw a huge, very intimidating German man, would you automatically think "master of cake baking"? I didn't think so. "When is he supposed to be here?" he added. _

"_A couple hours," I answered. "He said that Antonio and Francis were taking him out for a few drinks. And you how those three get when they go out."_

"_Yes, I do," he nodded his head knowingly. "But it should be plenty of time to make a perfect cake." Ludwig unzipped the back pack and got to work. _

_I sat on the counter-top and kept him company while he worked. As soon as he took the cake out of the oven, I put the lasagna that I had made beforehand in the oven. Gilbert loves Italian food, so I managed to get the recipe for it from Feliciano. God bless that kid. _

_Another hour passed, and as I was taking the lasagna out and putting the breadsticks in, and Ludwig was wrapping up the decorations on the cake, my phone rang. It was Gilbert letting me know he was on his way. _

"_All right, he should be here in about fifteen minutes," I told Ludwig as I slid my phone into my back pocket. "You almost done?"_

"_Just about," he answered as he took a step back to admire his work. He turned the cake and inspected it from every angle. He added one more speck of frosting to the border, then cocked his head to the side. "There, that should do it."_

"_Wow Ludwig," I sighed as I stared in awe at the work of art in front of me. "I think this one might be your best one yet!" The cake was double layer devil's food cake, with vanilla butter-cream icing. It had a border of navy blue stars around the top layer and another row around the bottom layer. It was awesome. I felt the urge to take a picture of it. _

_Ludwig flushed a light pink and cleared his throat. "Thank you very much," he muttered as he began packing his things back onto the rolling backpack. _

"_Okay, he could be here any minute, so you might wanna pick up the pace a little," I commented as I watched him meticulously put everything back into it's spot. _

"_I know, but it all had to go back in the same place it came from," he sighed. _

_I rolled my eyes and huffed. "This is not the time for your anal retentiveness to kick in!" I went over and started handing him things to help the process move along a little quicker. He sighed again and began shoving things in haphazardly. As soon as he was done, he turned to glare at me._

"_Great, now I'll have to reorganize this when I get home."_

"_Oh please," I scoffed. "We all know how much you like to reorganize stuff. So don't even act all put out or pissy."_

"_Gott, you sound like Gilbert," he said through pursed lips. _

"_Yeah yeah," I said waving a hand at him. "Speaking of Gilbert, he could be here any second. So unless you want to explain to him why you're here, you might wanna get going."_

"_Okay, I'm going," he huffed as he headed towards the front door. _

"_Thanks again for helping," I smiled at him. _

"_Don't mention it," he said, fixing the collar of his coat. "I'll see you later."_

"_Yep, see ya later!" I called after him as he walked out the door. _

_I was able to get the table set before Gilbert showed up. Just as I was setting the salad and breadsticks on the table, I heard a car door shut. I quickly lit the candles (cheesy, I know), and ran to open the door before he could knock. _

"_Happy birthday, baby!" I sang as I swung the door open. _

"_Thanks, spatzi," he grinned as he walked in. Gilbert had picked up my Moms pet name for me. "It smells awesome in here."_

"_Well, thank you," I said closing the door. "And I'll have you know I slaved over a hot stove all day." I pouted melodramatically. _

"_Uh-huh, sure ya did," he said sarcastically, hanging his coat up. _

"_I did!" I insisted. I looked at his face and saw that he was not fooled. "Okay, well. Maybe not all day. But a few hours for sure."_

"_Now that sound more like it," he laughed leaning over to kiss my forehead. _

"_All right, enough chit-chat," I said, taking his hand. "Let's eat! I'm starving!"_

_I led him into the dining room I rarely used. I heard him chuckle as we walked in. "A candlelit dinner?" Gilbert asked, raising an eyebrow. _

"_Shut up," I scowled at him. "I wanted to do something nice, okay?"_

"_Yeah," he sighed. "After all, it is the most awesome day of the year: the day I was born!"_

_I laughed as I rolled my eyes at him. "Whatever! Just shut up and eat."_

_After he freaked out over how good it was, he told my about his evening with Francis and Toni. When we got done eating, we moved into the living room. While I was enjoying the blueberry-pomegranate sangria I had made, and Gilbert with his usual beer, I reached behind the couch cushion and pulled out his strategically place birthday gift. _

"_Happy birthday," I said, holding out the small gift wrapped box. _

"_Thanks babe," he said, taking the box from me. He ripped the paper off and opened the box to reveal a key. He looked at me with a puzzled look on his face. _

"_A key?" Gilbert asked._

"_Yes, a key," I smiled at him. "But that's not just any key. It's a key to this house."_

"_You're giving me a key to you house?"_

"_Well," I said slowly. "I was kinda hoping that, after tonight, it would be our house. I want you to move in."_

_He grinned. "Really?"_

"_Yes, really!" I chuckled. "I mean, you're here all the time anyway. And I think with you actually living here, it shouldn't be any different. So I figured, why not?"_

_His grin got wider as he leaned over to press his forehead to mine. "Ich liebe dich." That was the first time he had said those words to me. I felt a surge of violent joy as I let it sink in._

"_Ich liebe dich auch," I whispered back with a huge smile on my face before he pressed his lips to mine. He groaned in disappointment as I pulled away. _

"_Do you want the other part of your birthday present?" I asked, cocking an eyebrow. _

"_You know I do," he chuckled. _

"_Then follow me," I stood up, took his hand, and led him upstairs. When we got to the bedroom door, I stopped and turned to face him. _

"_Wait here for a few minutes, kay?" Gilbert looked kinda annoyed as I closed the door in his face. As soon as it was shut, I ran over to the closet and pulled out a piece of lingerie. I had bought it for just this occasion. It was lacy, skimpy, and his favorite shade of blue. _

"_Seriously, you're killing me out here," he whined as I pulled a brush through my hair. _

"_Your patience will be rewarded," I said as I rushed out of the bathroom. "Just give me another forty-five seconds." I started lighting the candles I had placed all around the room. When they were all lit, I crawled onto the bed and laid there, looking as seductive as I could._

"_You may come in now," I called. He swung the door open and still looked pretty annoyed. Until he spotted me on the bed. His eyes popped and his jaw fell open._

"_You like it?" I asked grinning at him. He closed the door, kicked his shoes off, and pounced onto the bed. Gilbert crawled up the bed and on top of me.  
><em>

"_You have no idea how hot you look in that color," he growled in my ear. I chuckled as he attacked my neck._

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><p><strong>So there you go! Hope y'all liked it. Don't forget to R&amp;R, please~!<strong>

**P.S. I'm almost done writing the next chapter, so it should be up beginning of next week! Yay~! *flails like Kermit the Frog*** **Oh, and Ren's mother's name is pronounced "Mar-lay-nuh". I named her after my favorite German actress, Marlene Dietrich**_.  
><em>


	7. Heart Shaped Box and Payback

**Yeah, so I know I said this time last week ****that I would have this chapter out in a few days. ****Well, I was kinda sick last weekend and my sister had her baby this week****, so yeah. Crazy week. But hey! Here it is now!**** So yay!**

**Be prepared** **for a little fluff in the beginning. But hilarity ensues as it ends with an appearance by our favorite trio of friends. XD**

**Disclaimer Time:  
><strong>**I don't own Hetalia or any of the characters. *****sadface***

* * *

><p>After I was greeted by a mewling Gus-Gus, I hung my damp coat on the coat stand and kicked my shoes off. Good Lord, it felt awesome to finally be home. I padded off down the hallway that was lined with dozens of pictures from parties and trips over the last year. We've had some good times over the previous twelve months: the trip to Germany, Mattie and Alfie's birthday pool party, and Halloween just a few weeks ago. It had been the best year of my life. Sure, it didn't start out that way. I was unconscious for the first few days of the new year. Maybe that's why I appreciate everything now. You know, "don't sweat the small stuff" and "enjoy the little things in life" and all that jazz. I guess near-death experiences will do that to you. Or maybe I had Gilbert to thank. I was pretty much an anxiety ridden, paranoid victim of abuse before. Then he came along and turned it all upside down and I was able to enjoy life again. I was glad I had Gilbert in my life. At this point, I don't know what I'd do without him.<p>

I headed into the office to put my phone on the charger. When I plugged it in, it came to life and I checked my missed calls. There were two from Gilbert and one from my mother. Gilbert had left a voice mail saying he had to go run a few errands and that he'd be back in a few hours. And that was only about thirty minutes ago, so it'd be a little while before he got back. After sending him a quick text letting him know that I was home and telling him to be careful, I walked back out of the office, down the hallway, and trudged upstairs. I walked into our bedroom and immediately headed towards my dresser in search of my warmest pajamas and dry socks. When I had found them, I headed into the bathroom to change and put my wet hair up in a loose bun. As I watched myself in the mirror, my eyes wandered down to the necklace Gilbert had given me for Valentine's Day. I never thought I'd love a necklace so much…

* * *

><p><em>The smell of bacon, cheese, and cinnamon woke me up. As I sniffed the air, I noticed another smell that didn't quite gel with the food. I opened my eyes and saw a dozen yellow roses sitting on my bedside table. I sat up and reached for the note that was sticking out the bouquet. I instantly recognized the handwriting.<em>

"_Good morning, beautiful! If you come downstairs, there may or may not be more roses waiting for you. Plus food! Love, the most awesome-est boyfriend ever!"_

_I laughed at the note as I got out of bed. I grabbed my robe and headed downstairs. When I got to the foot of the stairs, I heard Gilbert talking to someone. I paused to listen. _

"_If she doesn't hurry up and get down here, I'll be sharing this Valentine's breakfast with you Gus-Gus," Gilbert sighed. Gus meowed back in response. "Yeah, I bet you'd like that, huh buddy?"_

_I put a hand over my mouth to muffle my laughter. That crazy man was talking to the cat as if the cat could understand everything he said. Oh, how I loved Gilbert. I walked down the hallway and paused in the kitchen doorway. _

"_You know, I'm pretty sure bacon would be bad for Gus," I laughed. Gilbert jumped at the sound of my voice and Gus ran over to wind himself around my legs. I bent over to pick him up and scratch his head. _

"_Mein Gott," Gilbert laughed. "I didn't even hear you come down the stairs."_

"_It's cause I have mad ninja skills," I said, walking over to him where he was standing at the stove making omelets. _

"_You may have mad ninja skills, but they're nothing compared to my awesome ninja skills," he said, flipping an omelet onto a waiting plate. _

"_How can you be a ninja?" I asked, setting Gus-Gus down. "You have a laugh that could wake the dead, babe!" He busted out laughing, totally proving my point._

"_But you didn't hear me get out of bed or leave the house this morning, did you?"_

_I scowled at him. He had me there and he knew it. I didn't hear a sound this morning. "Damn you," I pouted. _

_Gilbert sniggered as he turned the stove off and open the oven door to take the cinnamon rolls out. "So, you hungry?" he asked, throwing two rolls onto a plate._

"_Starving is more like it," I scoffed. _

"_Awesome, cause everything's ready," he said, handing me a plate with an omelet and two cinnamon rolls on it. "Let's eat."_

_I followed him over to the table. I smiled at the centerpiece as I sat down. There was another dozen yellow roses in a vase and a heart-shaped box sitting next to it. _

"_Do you want your present after we eat or later tonight?" Gilbert asked before taking a bite of his cinnamon roll._

_I shrugged while sipping my coffee. "It's up to you." Although, with the curiosity already starting to kill me, I hoped he wouldn't wait. Knowing him, he probably couldn't wait either. And sure enough, after he put the plates in the sink, he turned to me and smiled his trademark grin. _

"_All right, I can't wait," he said, coming back to the table. He grabbed the box and handed it to me. "Happy Valentine's Day, beautiful."_

_I stared at the heart-shaped box for a split second then lifted the lid. Inside was an Iron Cross pendant on a simple silver chain. At first, I was puzzled as to why he would give a necklace like this. I mean, in modern times, it's as synonymous with the Nazis as the swastika is. Then I remembered that it's a part of our heritage and, if you looked at it that way, it made a little sense. And plus, the Iron Cross dates back to the time of the Teutonic Knights. I ran a finger across the cold metal. _

"_It belonged to my mother," he explained as I lifted the necklace out of the box. "It was given to her by my father before they got married. It matches the one he had. Ludwig has that one. They were left to us after they died."_

"_You're giving me your mothers necklace?" I whispered as I stared at the necklace dangling from my hand. _

"_Yeah, I wore it for awhile after they died. But it reminded me too much of her, so I stopped wearing it. And I thought with you being half German and a total history nerd, you'd like it," Gilbert said in a low voice. _

_Dating just a little over two months and he's already giving me family heirlooms. Could this be considered moving too fast? No, moving in after only dating a month was moving too fast. This felt like something else. I just couldn't put my finger on it. "I love it. Thank you," I said standing up to kiss him. I held the necklace out at him. "Would you?" I turned around and pulled my hair out of the way. When he fastened it, the pendant fit perfectly into the hollow of my neck. I spun around to face him._

"_How's it look?" I smiled at him. _

"_It looks like it was made for you," he grinned, wrapping his arms around my waist. _

"_So I guess I should give you your gift too, right?" I asked, putting my hands on his chest. _

_Gilbert shrugged his shoulders. "It's up to you."_

_I rolled my eyes as I pulled away from him. I ran into the hallway, threw open the closet door, and grabbed a small box from the top shelf. After slamming the door shut, I ran back into the kitchen. "Happy Valentine's Day, babe," I said as I handed him the box. _

"_Thanks frau," he smirked as he pulled the lid off. He smirked even wider when he saw the gift. Inside was a watch on a wide black leather band with two rows of silver studs around the band. "How did you know I needed a watch?"_

"_Through the powers of observation, my dear Gilbert," I chuckled. "I noticed that you haven't been wearing a watch for the last week or so. And I had the feeling you had broken it. My suspicions were confirmed when I overheard you telling Ludwig that you had, in fact, broken your old one."_

_He just laughed and shook his head in disbelief. "Gott, you're smarter than I give you credit for!"_

"_Yeah, I know," I sighed as I took the watch out of the box and strapped it on his wrist. "There. How's that?" _

"_It's perfect. Thanks spatzi," he grinned. _

"_You're very welcome," I said glancing down at the watch. I noticed the time. "Shit, is that the right time?"_

"_Uh, yeah. I think so." _

"_Fuck! I'm gonna be late for work!" I whined before giving Gilbert a quick peck on the cheek and running upstairs. I dressed in the first things my hand touched, put my hair up in a bun, and threw on a little makeup. I grabbed my knee-high boots and booked down the stairs. As I was zipping up the last boot, Gilbert walked in the front door. _

"_I started your car for ya. Cause I'm awesomely thoughtful like that," he grinned._

"_Oh my God, you are awesome," I said as I pulled my coat on. _

"_I know I am."_

_I snatched my purse off its hook by the front door and as I swung the door open, I turned back to Gilbert. "Don't forget we have reservations at that German restaurant for 7, kay?" _

_He lifted his arm and pointed to the watch. "I won't," he laughed as he walked over to kiss my forehead. "Be careful and I love you."_

"_Love you too," I replied as I walked out the door._

_After driving like a mad woman, I managed to get to work only five minutes late. When I sat down at my desk, I heard Ludwig clear his throat behind me. I sighed._

"_Renata, you're…" he paused as I turned around. "…wearing my mothers necklace." _

"_I am. Gil gave it to me as a Valentine's gift," I said quietly. _

"_I guess it's official then," he said, grinning slightly. _

"_What do you mean 'official'?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. _

"_Well," he began, crossing his arms. "Gilbert told me when we were younger that he would give that to the beautiful German woman he intended on marrying." And with that, he turned and started walking away. And I watched Ludwig walk away, I realized that that was what I couldn't put my finger on earlier. It did mean something more than just a simple necklace he didn't wear anymore. In any other relationship, something like this would normally freak someone out. But it didn't me, for some reason. It felt right. I mean, it wasn't like me had proposed by just giving me the necklace. That would come in the future, maybe..._

* * *

><p>The next few weeks passed uneventfully and before we knew it, it was time to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. Gilbert and I had been invited to a few parties, but we turned them down. Gilbert had made plans to go out with Antonio and Francis. I, on the other hand, didn't want to celebrate by wearing silly leprechaun hats and drinking green beer. Those of us who are part Irish don't set aside one day of the year to celebrate our heritage. We do that ever day of the year. And plus, that's not even what the holiday is about. I swear, Americans will make any holiday a drinking holiday. But somehow, I still ended up being forced to go out with a certain trio of friends.<p>

_After shooting down their pleas for the fourth time, I finally managed to get them to leave. I had made plans with me, myself, and I tonight. I was going to take a shower, then give myself a manicure and pedicure while watching The Boondock Saints. About forty-five minutes after they left, I wandered upstairs to take my shower. As I turned the water on, I heard my phone ring. I rolled my eyes when I heard the ringtone. I wrapped a towel around myself and walked over to my dresser to grab it._

"_Hello?" I answered in a flat voice. _

"_Ren!" Gilberts voice whined over the sound of Irish music blaring in the background. _

"_Gah, what now?" I exclaimed. Here we go again with the begging and pleading. I thought guys were supposed to enjoy going out with their friends. Without their girlfriends. _

"_You should really come out with us. Seriously, you'd have fun," Gilbert said. _

"_And I already told you a thousand times! I have plans," I huffed._

"_Oh c'mon! You'd have a ton more fun with the three of us than you would watching a movie you've seen a million times!"_

_I sighed again. He was probably right. I always had a blast whenever I went out with them. If it was any other day of the year, I would. I hate going out on St. Patrick's Day._

"_Nah, I don't really feel like drinking green beer and being subjected to the drunken assholes of the world."_

"_Ohonhonhon! Gilbert, look at that fine specimen over at the bar." I heard Francis say. _

"_Damn!" Gilbert yelled. "She is hot!" _

_My jaw fell to the floor and I felt my anger rising. "Excuse me?" I bellowed. _

"_Mein Gott, would ya look at those legs! Mm mm mm," Gilbert sighed. "Well Ren, if you don't wanna come hangout with us, I guess I let you go watch your movie. I'll see ya later." And just like that, he hung up, without saying 'I love you' or anything._

"_That German bastard!" I yelled as I stared at my phone. "He wants to look at legs, huh? Well, I'll give him two legs to look at then." As I stood there thinking about what to wear, it dawned on me exactly what he was doing. He was playing the "lets make her jealous" card. Gilbert knew that I'd get jealous and pissed enough to go keep an eye on him. I scowled at the floor and growled. He's more clever than I ever gave him credit for. After throwing my phone back on the dresser, I stomped back into the bathroom to take an uber quick shower. _

_Forty-five minutes later, I was ready to walk out the door. After I laced my thigh-high boots up, I looked myself over in the mirror. I was wearing a long sleeved, button up black shirt with a green camisole underneath it. I had the first five buttons undone to show off some cleavage. The green, black, and white plaid miniskirt I had on went great with it. My black hair hung in curls over my shoulders. And with the aforementioned thigh-high white lace up boots, I looked awesome. I threw my phone and wallet in my little white clutch, slung my white calf-length trench coat over my arm, and headed out the door._

_Ten minutes later, I walked into the bar where I knew they'd be. I scowled at the grossly decorated bar. It looked like a leprechaun had thrown up. The bartender looked up as the door shut behind me. When he spotted me, his eyes popped and looked like they might actually fall out of their sockets. He shook his head quickly, as though he were trying to get the thoughts he was having out of his head. He winked and pointed towards the back of the bar where they usually sat. I nodded my head and headed in that direction. _

"_The usual tonight, Ren?" the bartender asked as I walked by. _

"_I think I'm gonna need something a bit stronger than just beer. Bring me a double whiskey on the rocks, please," I called over my shoulder. _

"_Yes ma'am," he chuckled. _

_Pushing my way through the crowded bar, I could feel the eyes on me. It kind of made uncomfortable, but I guess that's what I get for going out dressed like this. As I made my way past the edge of the crowd, I spotted the trio sitting in a booth at the back of the bar. And they were surrounded by four of the skankiest women I'd ever laid eyes on. Glaring at them, I stomped over. _

"_Hello boys," I growled, standing in front of the booth with my hands on my hips. All seven of them looked up at me. The trios jaws dropped to the table and the women looked at each other with looks that said, "Who's this bitch?" _

"_Ren," Gilbert laughed nervously. "What're you doing here?"_

"_You called me an hour ago and begged me to come out with you three, smart one," I snapped back. "Who are they?" I jerked my head towards the four women. _

"_Uhh," he hesitated, looking to Toni and Francis for a good excuse. _

"_We're they're friends," the blonde in the middle sneered. "Who're you?"_

"_Me?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "I happen to be his girlfriend," I pointed at Gilbert. _

"_Well, you obviously can't be that great of a girlfriend if he's here partying with us," the blonde said crossing her arms._

"_Let me enlighten you, honey," I sneered back at her. "He's just using you to make me jealous. And in all actuality, that doesn't piss me off. I find it highly amusing. But what does piss me off is the fact that you have the audacity to cop an attitude with me. You should know better than to piss off a half German, half Irish woman. And especially when it concerns her boyfriend."_

_The blonde opened her mouth to say something, but Gilbert interrupted her. "Ladies, thank you for keeping us company while we waited, but you should probably leave now."_

"_In other words, your services will no longer be needed. So, buh-bye," I added. _

_Gilbert and Antonio slid out of the booth to let the girls out. I earned a glare from each of them as they walked passed me. The blonde looked as though she wanted to say something to me, but one of the other girls grabbed her arm and pulled her away before she could. I took my place in the booth next to Gilbert. _

"_You're all asses," I huffed, glaring daggers at the three of them. _

"_Renata, in our defense…. It was Francis' idea!" Antonio said in a rushed voice. Gilbert snickered in my ear as he slung an arm over my shoulders. _

"_Hey!" Francis yelled in protest. "It might've been, but you two went along with it." _

"_It sounded like an awesome idea at the time," Gilbert laughed. "But I didn't know Ren would get that pissed."_

"_I wasn't pissed until that blonde bimbo opened her stupid mouth!"_

"_And by the way," Gilbert began. "The way you told her off was uber sexy, babe."_

"_Yeah, but it would've been even hotter had she been wearing black leather from head to toe and carrying a whip," Francis said, smirking creepily at me. _

"_Dude, I have pictures of her dressed like that. Wanna see?" he asked reaching for his phone. _

"_I will murder you in your sleep," I hissed menacingly, elbowing him in the ribs. Needless to say, he didn't pull out his phone._

_It was well after one in the morning before we left the bar. And we were all pretty toasted. I was surprised Francis left with us. He usually left with a girl on each arm. While we were walking through the park, Francis and Toni thought it was a good idea to start skipping hand in hand while singing 'Poker Face' at the tops of their lungs. I was laughing so hard, Gilbert had to hold me up to keep me from falling down. About halfway through their rendition, Francis came to a halt, pulling Antonio to a stop with him._

"_What's wrong, Francey-pants?" I called to him. _

_Francis whipped around to face us. "I'm so hot," he slurred. "Is anybody else hot?" And with that, he began to strip. _

"_Dude, no! Babe, make him stop," I laughed, looking up at Gilbert. _

"_Once he gets started, there no stopping him," Gilbert cackled. "It's only a matter of time before Toni joins him."_

_And as if on cue, Antonio ripped his shirt off and started unbuckling his belt._

"_Oh dear Lord," I face palmed. "Put your clothes back on, you two! I'm too drunk to bail you outta jail tonight!"_

_By then, they were both stark naked and had continued the singing and skipping, leaving their clothes in a pile behind them. I bent down to pick them up when Gilbert and I reached the pile. As I straightened back up, a devious, but hysterical idea came to me. Pushing the clothes under my arm, I grabbed Gilberts hand and started walking backwards slowly._

"_What're you doing?" he asked me. _

"_Just follow my lead," I smirked watching Francis and Toni. "When they turn around, get ready to run." Gilbert just shrugged his shoulders and followed me. And about six steps later, they turned around. _

"_Run!" I yelled spinning around and hauling ass, pulling Gilbert with me . _

"_Hey, what are you doing? Give us our clothes back!" Antonio yelled at us. _

"_This is what you get for taking them off!" I yelled back over my shoulder._

_Gilbert and I didn't stop running until we reached the road. And by the grace of God, there happened to be a taxi sitting across the street. We ran over and jumped in the backseat. _

"_Go go go!" I frantically yelled at the driver. He put the taxi in gear and pulled away, leaving Antonio and Francis standing in the middle of the street, buck ass naked._

"_Assholes," I mumbled as we watched them fade into the distance._

"_You're evil, babe," Gilbert said. _

"_That's what they get for pulling that stunt earlier tonight," I said, glaring at their clothes._

"_Like I said, evil."_

* * *

><p><strong>There ya go~ Hope you liked it! Don't forget to review please. They're like an authors crack! As for the next update, I'm not sure when it'll be. Christmas is coming up and I have a little more research to do before I start writing it. I'm aiming for between Christmas and New Years, but we'll have to see. <strong>

**And if I don't have it updated before, Happy Holidays and Happy New Year! :D  
><strong>


	8. Fed Up and Travel Plans

**Hey look! I didn't drop off the face of the planet. I just crawled under a rock and proceeded to live there for two months... No, seriously. I kinda did. I distanced myself from pretty much everything... But now I'm back and better than ever! Yay! *claps hands***

**This chapter and the next chapter gave me some trouble. I had orginally planned for them to be one chapter, but halfway though this one, I realized it had to be a two-parter of sorts. It was just way too long. It's still pretty lengthy, but I'm sure all of you are used to that by now.**

**One more thing, then I'll let you read. I just want to give a massive crap ton of thanks to the music of Rise Against, Alkaline Trio, and My Chemical Romance. Had it not been for their music's constant inspiration, I would still be working on this chapter...**

**Enjoy~! :D **

* * *

><p>After I was dressed and much warmer, I wandered back downstairs. I slowly walked down the hallway, gazing at all the photos. I paused in front of one from our trip to Germany. As I stared at the blown up photo of Gilbert and I in front of the Brandenburg Gate, I thought about how much fun we had on that trip. And how the weeks leading up to it weren't so fun…<p>

* * *

><p>'<em>All right, I wonder what kind of mood Gil's in today.' I thought to myself as I pulled in the driveway. I had a hellashish day at work and was in no mood to deal with his sulking. <em>

_It was about a month after St. Patrick's Day and Gilbert's emotions had been like a freaking rollercoaster ride. It started at the beginning of April and now, two weeks later, it still hasn't stopped. One day, he'd be his normal, arrogant self. And the next, he'd be this depressed and angry Gilbert I didn't like at all and who rarely got off the couch for anything. I made the mistake of asking him about it one night and he got all defensive, saying he was okay and that I shouldn't worry about him. I asked Ludwig one day, while at work, if Gil had ever acted this way before and he said no. I even resorted to asking Antonio and Francis to come over and talk to him. But that just ended in an argument between them. The way Gilbert acted, you would've thought we were trying to do an intervention. He said we were ganging up on him and stormed out of the house. He was acting as though he were going through puberty again. I just wish he'd tell me what's going on with him. _

_The minute I walked in the house, I knew Gilbert was having a couch-bound day. I hung my purse up and headed into the living room. Well, it looked like he had gotten off the couch for food and beer. There were two dirty plates on the coffee table, along with countless beer bottles and an empty bag of chips. As I stared at the mess, I felt my anger and frustration want to boil over. But I contained it as best I could when I walked around the edge of the couch to see him still in his pajamas, sprawled out and sound asleep. God I don't have the patience to deal with this today. _

"_Hey wake up," I said smacking his foot. "I'm home."_

_Gilbert woke with a start and quickly sat up. "Oh, shit. Hey babe."_

"_Hey," I said, crossing my arms. _

"_How was your day?" he asked while rubbing his eyes. _

"_Shitty and it just keeps getting shittier and shittier," I said angrily. _

"_Damn, that sucks," he said resting his elbows on his knees to hold his head in his hands. _

"_I see you had another day of moping on the couch," I growled as I eyeballed the mess on the coffee table. _

"_Ugh, don't start, Ren," he whined, getting to his feet and turning away from me, towards the kitchen. _

"_What in the hell is your problem, Gilbert?" I snapped, no longer able to hold it back. "For the past two fucking weeks, you've been like this. You haven't moved off the couch for anything, you only get dressed if it's absolutely necessary, and you drink all damn day. Every day when I come home from work, I never know what kind of fucking mood you're gonna be in and quite frankly, I'm done with it!" _

_Gilbert spun around to face me. "You wanna know what my fucking problem is?" he yelled back. "I'm nothing but a loser! A year ago, I lost my job and my ex-girlfriend kicked me out. I was forced to live in my little brothers basement and deal with him telling me every goddamned day what a failure I am. And now, I move in with you and it's happening all over again! I'm just a leach, forced to feed off of Ludwig and now you! And there's nothing I can do about it!"_

"_Bullshit, there's nothing you can do about it," I yelled at him. "How about you try to get a job? That would help a lot."_

"_It's not that fucking simple, Ren. There aren't any jobs out there."_

"_Have you tried looking?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at him. "Have you asked Francis about working at the café?"_

"_Well, I would, but he's not answering any of my phone calls," he said dejectedly. _

"_Gee I wonder why," I said sarcastically. "It surely couldn't be because of the way you acted the last time you saw him."_

"_I'm not in the mood for your sarcasm, Renata," he said, glaring at me. _

"_And you think _I'm _in the mood to deal with you acting like a hormone-ridden teenager?" I screeched at him. _

"_Whatever, I don't have to listen to this," he said stomping off towards the stairs_

"_Ya know what? Neither do I," I huffed while heading towards the front door. "I think I'll call Mattie and Ludwig and see if they want to go get a few drinks." _

_Gilbert froze at the bottom of the stairs. "Ludwig? Why him?"_

"_Cause I happen to like your brother. He isn't a dick. Like you."_

"_Humph," he grunted. _

"_Oh and a bit of advice to get over this whole 'I'm a loser' thing," I said snatching my purse off of its hook. "Help comes to those who help themselves." And with that, I swung the front door open and slammed it as hard as I could behind me._

* * *

><p>"<em>God, your brother infuriates the fuck out of me," I growled as I slammed my glass down on the table.<em>

_Ludwig, Mattie and I were sitting in our favorite bar. I was kind of glad the bar wasn't crowded tonight. I didn't want to have to deal with people staring at me if I got too loud while bitching. I was also glad they were both able to come out with me. I was in desperate need of venting. _

"_Yeah, tell me about it," Ludwig sighed. _

_Even though I knew he meant it figuratively, I still launched into an explanation of how Gil's been acting and a full blow-by-blow of our fight. While I ranted, Mattie leaned over to rub my back, trying to comfort me. He was an awesome friend. _

"_Wait," Ludwig interrupted me. "When did you say this all started?"_

"_Beginning of this month," I answered. "Why?"_

_Ludwig sighed and shook his head. "I think I know what that big dummkopfs problem is."_

"_Really? Why didn't you say anything when I asked you about it before?" I asked._

"_Because I was just able to put two and two together."_

"_What do you think it is, Ludwig?" Mattie asked in his feather light voice. _

"_Every year, Gil and I take a two week trip back to Germany. We catch up with friends and we also go visit our parents graves. We've done it every year since we moved here. But this year, I'm not going to be able to get the time off of work and Gilbert simple can't afford it. When I told him this, he got pissed and started whining like a child who wasn't getting his way."_

"_Yeah, that sounds like Gilbert," I muttered into my glass before taking a sip. _

"_I actually haven't talked to him since. I didn't think he'd take the news this hard."_

"_I wonder if there's anything we can do," Mattie wondered aloud. _

"_I doubt it," Ludwig said before draining his glass of beer. _

"_No," I said slowly as an idea came to me. "I think there's something _I _can do."_

"_And what would that be?" Ludwig asked, cocking an eyebrow. _

"I _can take him to Germany," I said grinning. _

"_Renata, no," Ludwig started, but I interrupted him. _

"_No, no, no. Hear me out, okay?" I said putting my hands up. "I still have some money left over from the insurance company's check form my old car and with what's in my savings account, I have more than enough to pay for the both of us to go."_

"_Seriously?" Mattie asked, looking at me skeptically. "You'd do that for him?"_

"_If it'll get him out of this funk he's in, then yes, I would." I said turning to Ludwig. "When do you usually go?"_

"_The first two weeks of May," he answered, looking at me like I had lost my mind._

"_Hm, then I only have a few weeks to put it all together," I said reaching into my purse for my phone. _

"_Renata, wait," Ludwig sighed. "Are you sure you want to do this? Just think about it before you make any rash decisions."_

"_Ludwig, I love your brother more than anything in this world. And I would do just about anything to make him happy. Even if that means footing the entire bill for a two week trip to Germany," I said looking him dead in the eyes. "Don't you want your brother to be happy?"_

"_You know I do," he scowled at me, blushing ever so slightly. _

"_Then stop trying to talk me out of this, okay?"_

"_You're one helluva girlfriend, Ren," Mattie chuckled._

"_I really am," I agreed. "But the question now is whether or not I can get the time off work?" I said giving Ludwig the best puppy dog face I had. _

_Ludwig just continued scowling at me while he thought about it for a minute or two. _

"_I guess I can give you the time off," he said as I squealed with excitement. "But under one condition."_

"_Anything!"_

"_Let me pay for the plane tickets. It's partially my fault I can't take Gilbert myself. So, it'll be my way of making it up to him."_

"_You don't have to do that," I laughed. _

"_No, I want to," Ludwig smiled slightly. _

"_Whatever you say, dude!"_

"_Well, it looks like you're going to Germany, Ren," Mattie said smiling his sweet smile at me. _

"_Gah, I'm so excited! I can't wait to tell Gil!" I gushed. _

* * *

><p><em>An hour and a half later, after listening to Ludwig tell me what kind of weather to pack for, where we should go and what they usually did, I turned onto the street we lived on. There were two cars parked on the curb in front of the house. Antonio and Francis were over. That was a good sign. <em>

"_Hello?" I called as I walked in the front door. _

"_In here babe," I heard Gilbert's voice call from down the hallway. _

_Walking passed the living room, I glanced in and saw that it was spotless. Smiling, I followed the sound of their voices to the dining room. They were sitting around the table playing poker. _

"_Hey spatzi," Gilbert said cheerfully_

"_Hey sweetie," I said walking over to kiss his cheek. "Hello boys," I added, smiling at Toni and Francis_

"_Hey Ren," they said in unison. _

"_How was your night?" Gilbert asked, raising the stakes a little bit. _

"_It was fine," I answered, leaning against the back of his chair. _

"_That's good," he said as Antonio sighed in frustration._

"_I'm out," Toni said as he threw his cards on the table. I chuckled at him as my stomach growled. I realized then that I hadn't eaten anything since lunch. "Are y'all hungry?"_

"_Actually, we just ordered a couple pizzas," Gilbert answered. "They should be here any minute now."_

"_Sweet," I said as I headed towards the kitchen. "You guys want a beer?"_

"_Sure," Gilbert answered. _

"_Do you have anything other than beer, Ren?" Antonio asked._

"_Yeah, I'm not in the mood for beer either," Francis said._

"_You're both a couple of pussies," Gilbert laughed. _

"_All right, let's see," I said as I opened the liquor cabinet. "I have tequila, vodka, a little Jager, and some whiskey. Oh, and I have a couple bottles of wine that are still unopened. I could make my world famous sangria."_

"_I don't think I've ever had your sangria before, Ren," Antonio said. _

"_Then you're in luck cause I'm in the mood for something fruity," I said as I popped the cork. _

"_Do you think I could have just a glass of wine? No fruit, please?" Francis asked. _

"_Sure, Francy-pants," I laughed as I pulled out everything to make my sangria. _

"_May I watch you make it?" Antonio asked as he walked into the kitchen. _

"_Of course! You can cut the fruit for me, if you want," I smiled at him. _

"_So, how's he been lately?" Toni asked me as he cut up an orange. _

"_Eh, he's had his bad days and his good days," I sighed as I poured the wine into a glass pitcher. _

"_It looks like he's having a good day today."_

"_Yeah, now. But earlier, not so much." I then told him about what I came home to and the fight we got into. "But I think I have a way to help him out of this funk he's in."_

"_And what's that?" he asked putting the fruit into a couple glasses I had waiting. I told him about what Ludwig told me and my idea. "Seriously?" he asked when I had finished. _

"_Yeah. I mean, if it'll make him happy, then I'm willing to do it," I shrugged. _

"_I don't know Ren," he said, shaking his head a little. "If he's already upset because he can't afford it, do you really think he's going to like the idea of you paying for the entire trip?"_

_I sighed as I stirred the juice into the wine. "I didn't think about that."_

"_I mean, you can do what you want, mi amiga. But I honestly think it'll make things worse."_

"_Maybe," I sighed again. Then I gasped as an idea came to me. "I'll tell him it's for the both of us. Now that I think about it, I haven't taken a real vacation in two and a half years. And I haven't been to Germany in about ten years. I can tell him I want him to meet my family over there and show him where I spent a few summers as kid."_

_Antonio just smiled at me. "That might actually work."_

"_It has to," I said as I poured our drinks. _

_We walked back into the dining room as the doorbell rang. _

"_Since I ordered them, I'll pay this time," Francis said as he stood up. _

"_Here," I said, reaching into my purse for my wallet. "I'll put $10 towards it." I handed him a ten dollar bill. _

"_Merci, mon ami," he said, lapsing into his native language._

"_Don't mention it," I laughed._

_We ate and ended up sitting there until eleven, just talking. And the entire time, I was secretly dreading them leaving. I didn't know if this was some façade of happiness that Gilbert was putting up and that we'd end up fighting again when they left. But at the same time, I couldn't wait to tell Gilbert my news. I was pretty much a ball of nerves the entire time. _

_As Francis and Antonio were walking out the front door, Francis turned around and said something about seeing Gilbert bright and early in the morning. I turned to Gil and raised a questioning eyebrow at him. All he did was grin and wink at me. While they were standing on the front porch talking, I walked back into the dining room and started cleaning up. I was in the kitchen, loading the dishwasher when I heard the front door close._

"_Well, that was fun," Gilbert said as he walked into the kitchen. _

"_It was," I mumbled into the sink. I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye. Well, he still looks happy. But it's only a matter of time before the other Gilbert makes his appearance. I froze at that thought. Shit... I used to think that same thing all the time when I was with Simon. No, I firmly told myself. Gil's nothing like Simon. He's just going through something right now. And after I tell him about the trip, he'll be his old self again. But first, I should probably apologize for storming out earlier. I started the dishwasher and turned to face him._

"_Gil, I-," I started, but he interrupted me. _

"_No, don't apologize. I'm the one who needs to apologize," he said while leaning against the counter. "Wait, you were about to apologize, right?_

"_I was," I nodded my head. _

"_Okay, just making sure," he sighed in relief. "But seriously. After you left, I thought about what you said and… I realized you were right. I've been acting like an ass the last few weeks and… I'm sorry."_

"_All right, before I accept your apology, please tell me why you've been acting like this. I think it's more than just the whole 'no job' thing," I said, wondering if he'd give the same reason Ludwig had. _

_Gilbert gave me a look that said, 'I know you already know, but you're testing me to see it I'll actually tell you.' Then he sighed and folded his arms across his chest. "Okay, so Ludwig and I go on a trip to Germany every year and he told me a few weeks ago that we can't go because I can't afford it and he basically told me he wouldn't pay for me to go."_

"_There. Was that so hard?" I asked cocking an eyebrow. _

"_No, cause you already knew," he said sourly. _

"_I did, but I would've liked to have heard it from you to begin with," I said crossing my arms. "Communication, baby. It's key to a successful relationship."_

"_Jesus, you sound like a damn shrink," Gilbert said, unfolding his arms and pushing off of the counter. He walked over to the pantry and pulled out a couple beers. He popped the cap off one and handed it to me. _

"_I've read enough books about relationships to be one," I muttered, taking the bottle and sliding myself up onto the countertop. _

"_So do you forgive me?" Gilbert asked as he pushed my legs apart to stand between them. _

_I sat my beer down and wrapped my arms around his neck. "Yeah, I guess I do."_

"_Awesome," he said before kissing the tip of my nose. _

_I smiled and took a deep breath. "Uh, I have something else I need to discuss with you."_

_I told him about the conversation with Ludwig and Mattie. And about the trip. Gilbert reacted pretty much how Antonio said he would. He suggested that we wait until he can save up some money to help pay for it. Then I explained that I hadn't had a vacation in years and how much I really wanted to go. He totally bought it._

"_And I'll pay for you to go, but on one condition."_

"_What's that?" Gilbert asked hesitantly. _

"_You have to find a job the minute we get back."_

"_I was hoping you'd say that," he grinned. "I kinda already have one."_

"_Kinda have one?" I repeated. "How do you 'kinda' have a job?"_

"_That's what Francis meant about seeing me in the morning. He's gonna give me a chance and let me work at the café. And he wants me to start tomorrow."_

"_On a Saturday?"_

"_I told him I wanted to start ASAP and he was cool with that," he grinned again. _

"_That's awesome!" I said, kissing his forehead. "Now had you asked him about it months ago, we wouldn't be having this conversation."_

"_Yeah, but then again, I'd be going to Germany with Ludwig instead. And I'm totally stoked about going with you."_

"_I can't believe we're going!" I gushed. "Our first trip together."_

"_I know. It's gonna be the most awesome vacation ever!"_

_The next day while Gil was at work, I sat down and started planning. With Ludwig paying for the plane tickets, that gave me more money to use for a hotel room. And I wanted to stay in the nicest hotel I could afford. I scoured the internet and managed to find a 4-star hotel in downtown Berlin for around what I had budgeted. Before booking the room, I called Ludwig just to make sure he hadn't changed his mind about the tickets. He said he bought the tickets as soon as he got home last night and that we should get the vouchers for them in the mail this week. While squealing excitedly, I thanked him over and over again. As soon as I hung up, I booked the room. While waiting for the confirmation stuff to print, I texted Gilbert and told him about the tickets and the hotel room. All I got back was, "Wooooooooooot!"_

* * *

><p><em>Over the next two weeks, when we weren't at work, Gil and I were planning everything we wanted to do. We wanted to see all the sights, like the Brandenburg Gate and the Victory Column. I wanted to go to the top of the Fernsehturn Berliner and have dinner at the restaurant there. We both wanted to tour Sanssouci, the palace of Fredrick II. Gilbert had a ton of friends he wanted to see and I wanted to visit my family. He was also excited to show me where he grew up. And on our last day there, we planned on visiting the graves of his parents and grandfather. And I figured while I was there, I should visit my Grammy Ilsa's grave too. The last time I was in Germany was for her funeral. <em>

_The day before we were to leave, I ran around the house like a chicken with it's head cut off. As soon as Gil left for work that morning, I started doing laundry. After I lugged all the laundry downstairs, I brought all the luggage down too, cause I wanted to pack the clothes as soon as I had them folded. That way, I didn't have to lug the laundry back upstairs, and the luggage would already be downstairs in the morning. Work smarter, not harder, kids. While the first load was washing, I sat down and made two checklists: one for me and one for Gilbert. I didn't want to forget anything. As soon as I made sure I had everything written down, I grabbed the lists and sprinted upstairs to start packing our toiletries: shampoo, conditioner, body wash, shaving cream, toothpaste, toothbrushes, hairspray, razors, hairbrushes, and combs. Then I packed my jewelry, hair accessories, and makeup. After I was done, I checked the lists and checked them twice, like I was fucking Santa Claus. I snatched the two toiletry bags off the bed and headed back downstairs. I tossed them on the couch as I waked passed into the kitchen. I put the first load of clothes in the dryer and the second into wash. While listening to the washer fill, I leaned against it to take a deep, calming breath. I still had a ton of things to do. But if it didn't slow down, I was going to forget something. Lord knows I usually did. I saw something out of the corner of my eye and glanced over to see Gus sauntering over to his food dish. Aw damn, I forgot to get cat food. And with that thought, I was off to the store, before I could forget again. _

_When Gilbert got home later that night, he was amazed at just how much I had gotten done. Laundry was done and it was all packed, just waiting by the front door. When he walked into the bedroom, I was in the middle of packing our carry on bags. _

"_Damn babe. You got a lot done today," Gilbert exclaimed as he plopped down on the bed. _

"_Icedcoffeeisthebestthingever," I rattled off. "I'vehadliketentoday."_

"_Gott verdammt, spatzi," he laughed. "You gonna be able to sleep tonight?"_

"_Yeahyeahyeah," I rambled, starting to feel jittery. I then ran into the bathroom to grab my contacts and ran back over to the bed. After I packed the contacts, I remembered like, five other things and then proceeded to run around like the Tasmanian Devil, tossing things onto the bed. Gilbert jumped up and grabbed me by the tops of my arms. _

"_Spatzi!" he yelled. "You need to chill the fuck out!"_

"_I can't! I still have so much I need to do!" It felt like I was on the verge of a panic attack. My mind was racing and when I started breathing heavily, Gilbert made me sit down on the edge of the bed. _

"_What do you have left to do? I'll help," he said soothingly. _

_I sat there and thought about everything I had already done. And when I got to the end of the list, I realized that after the carry on bags were packed, I was done. _

"_Actually, I'm pretty much done," I said after I had calmed down. "Yeah, I'm done."_

"_Good," Gilbert said. "Let's go get something to eat. I'm starving and I have a funny feeling you haven't eaten anything today."_

_I just kind of grinned sheepishly as him. _

* * *

><p><em>The next morning, Ludwig and my mother drove us to the airport. Before going through security, my Mom was doing her whole "Mom thing." <em>

"_Now, I hope you didn't forget anything," she said in her adorable accent. "And make sure you call me as soon as you get there."_

"_I didn't forget anything and I will," I sighed as she kissed my cheek for the tenth time. _

"_Have fun, you two," she smiled at Gilbert before hugging him. _

_Thirty minutes later, we were on the plane, waiting for it to take off. _

"_You ready for this, spatzi?" Gilbert grinned as he squeezed my hand. _

"_Yeah, I am," I grinned back as the plane started moving slowly down the tarmac. _

* * *

><p><strong>Seriously, iced coffee <em>is<em> the best thing ever... I've had like, two today...**

**Well, hope you enjoyed it. I'm planning to get the next chapter out by the end of this upcoming weekend. It's finished. All I have to do is edit it.**

**Please review! They're like crack~ Thanks for reading and see ya next time!**


	9. Das Vaterland

**I had totally planned on having this chapter out earlier this week, but I've been running around, trying to find stuff for my little sisters Romano cosplay for a convention we're going to next weekend... Do you know how hard it is to find a fake mustache this time of year? -_-**

**I hope you're prepared for another long chapter. It's a very descriptive chapter, so there isn't a whole lot of dialogue. There's also a fair bit of history in it as well, so I hope it doesn't bore you to tears. Translations are at the bottom. Enjoy~!**

_**Disclaimer**__** Time:**__**  
>I do not own Hetalia or any of the characters mentioned. I wish I did though... *winkwink*<strong>_

* * *

><p>"<em>Spatzi, we're here," I heard Gilbert whisper in my ear. I opened my eyes and saw that we were at the hotel. The neon sign above the hotel doors illuminated everything. I smiled at it because I knew that in a few minutes I'd be in a comfortable bed and could sleep for the next two days if I wanted to. I grabbed my purse, opened the door and stepped out into the light misty rain that was falling. I stretched as I looked around. The streets weren't that busy, but there were a lot of people walking. They were nothing but a sea of umbrellas and hoods. While Gilbert was helping the taxi driver with our luggage, I turned towards the hotel to see a bellhop was walking out with a luggage trolley thing. Once they were done, I paid the driver and made my way into the hotel to check in. Ten minutes later, Gilbert and I were walking into our junior suite. Everything was either red or cream colored. The huge bed looked so inviting, with it's over-stuffed down comforter and massive pillows that looked as though they would swallow your head completely. It made me want to run over and jump headfirst onto it. <em>

_As soon as the bellhop was tipped and out of the room, I walked over to the bed and fell face first into the middle of it. The bed felt as though I were laying on the fluffiest cloud in the history of clouds. I could lay here forever, but I had just been on a plane for the last eleven and a half hours and I needed to get out of these clothes and shoes. I groaned mentally at the thought of getting up. I turned my head to the side and saw Gilbert looking out the window. _

"_How's the view?" I mumbled. _

"_Dark and rainy," he chuckled, turning to smile at me. _

_I grinned back. "Hey, you know what?"_

"_Hm?" he answered, turning back to the rain soaked scenery. _

"_You're home," I said softly. _

_Gilbert took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. He was so close to the window that it fogged up when he exhaled. "I am," he said in a tone that oozed contentment. _

_After about five minutes of contemplating sleeping fully dressed, I finally decided to get up and change. While digging through my suitcase in search of my lavender colored silk camisole and shorts set, I heard Gilbert plop down on the couch and turn the TV on. He was still channel surfing when I walked into the bathroom. Well, it wasn't the biggest bathroom I'd ever seen. But it wasn't the smallest either. Thankfully, it had a decent sized mirror and two sinks. I didn't want to fight over either every morning. Why did I have to fall in love with the vainest, most narcissistic man ever? _

_With my face washed, teeth brushed and hair put up into a ponytail, I quickly changed. I couldn't wait to lay back down. I didn't even bother to pick my clothes up. They could just stay there until I had the energy to take care of them. As soon as I got to the cloud disguised as a bed, I jumped headfirst into the pillows. Good Lord, they were just as soft as they looked. I definitely picked an awesome hotel. I laid there for a few minutes before rolling onto my side. _

"_My God, babe," I mumbled sleepily. "I wanna take this bed home."_

_Gilbert chuckled slightly. "There's nothing wrong with our bed back home."_

"_Yeah, that's what I thought too." I closed my eyes and listened to whatever Gilbert was watching on TV. It sounded like a local newscast. As I listened to the news anchor, I was thankful that Gilbert decided to make me take a refresher course for the language. For over half of the plane ride, we spoke only German to each other and Gilbert corrected me on certain things and constantly reminded me that I didn't have to be so formal. Now, as I lay here, I had no problem understanding or keeping up with the anchor. Proud of myself, I started dozing off during the weather report. Next thing I know, Gilbert is pulling the comforter up over me. _

"_What time is it?" I asked, not even half awake. _

"_A little after eleven," he said quietly. _

"_Shit, I need to let Mutti we got here alright," I said trying to sit up, but Gilbert gently pushed me back into the pillows. _

"_I already did."_

"_Really? Thanks babe. You're so awesome," was all I managed to get out before starting to doze off again. _

"_Gute nacht, spatzi."_

* * *

><p><em>I woke unusually alert the next morning. It felt as though I couldn't sleep another minute, even if I wanted to. I slowly sat up and looked the room over. The digital clock by the TV said it was almost noon. Well no wonder I was so alert. I had just slept for over twelve hours. Stupid jet-lag. Trying not to wake Gilbert, I slipped out of bed and stealthily crept towards the bathroom to take a shower. After drying off, I wrapped a towel around myself and walked out of the bathroom, where I was greeted by sunshine and the glorious smell of food and coffee. I looked over at the bed to see Gilbert sitting in the middle of it with my laptop. He looked up and grinned widely. <em>

"_Hey babe," he said, closing the laptop. _

"_I didn't wake you up, did I?" I asked, walking over to the table and lifted one of the metal lids. Eggs, bacon, and wurst. I lifted another lid to reveal a dozen golden brown biscuits. They looked so flipping good. _

"_No, my stomach did," he laughed as he walked over to me. Gilbert wrapped his arms around my waist and kissed my forehead. "You snored last night, by the way."_

_I chuckled as I kissed the tip of his nose. Then I pulled away from him and sat down at the table. "I was dead-ass tired. I always snore when I'm that tired."_

"_I've never heard you snore that loud before, spatzi," he said as he sat down opposite of me. _

"_Then I'm blaming it on the jet-lag," I mumbled as I poured myself a cup of steaming hot coffee. _

"_I was surprised when I woke up and you were already awake. I figured you'd be in bed all day," Gilbert remarked before shoving an entire biscuit into his mouth._

"_Ehh," I shrugged. "I feel fine."_

"_Awesome," he said through a mouth full of biscuit. "What do you wanna do today?"_

"_I don't know," I said slowly, making my thinking face. "How about we just wander around the city? Maybe see what's around here."_

"_Sounds good," he nodded. _

_An hour and a half later, we were walking out of the hotel. The weather was amazing. It was mild, the sun was shining, and there was a slight breeze. Our first stop was a bakery. While I was talking to the owner about different types of traditional German pastries, I mentioned one recipe that I had from my Grammy Ilsa. The owner was amazed I had it because it was a hard to find recipe. When I told him that my grandparents were Otto and Ilsa von Winterstein, it finally dawned on him. My grandfather owned a bakery here in Berlin for about 40 years before he sold it and it was famous for their cranberry-blueberry muffins. I glanced over at Gilbert and he looked totally and utterly confused. Probably because we were talking about baking and Gilbert knows next to nothing about baking and I had never told him I was a von Winterstein. Apparently, back in it's heyday, Winterstein's Bakery was a pretty hopping place. Anyway, after buying a half a dozen pastries, we headed across the street to a supermarket. When I was younger and would come for the summer, I always loved going to the supermarket with Grammy Ilsa. It amazes me how similar German and American markets are. But, at the same time, how different they are. We decided to send Ludwig a care package. Kind of a 'sorry you couldn't come package', if you will. We bought all his favorite things, like different jams and snacks that you can't find in the States. We even managed to find a UPS store while were out and sent the package off before we could forget about it. _

_While eating a lunch of currywurst and French fries, I started feeling like crap. Almost as if I were coming down with a cold or something. Figures. I always get sick when I travel. We headed back to the hotel after lunch. But not before we could stop at a pharmacy for some cold medicine and orange juice. I felt even worse when we finally made it up to the room. I changed clothes, took some medicine, and crawled into bed, where I proceeded to stay for the first three days of our trip. It's a good thing I didn't plan anything for the first few days. I kind of had a feeling this might happen. And poor Gilbert. I told him over and over again that he didn't have to stay all cooped up with me. I suggested that he should go out with is friends, who kept calling. Gilbert said he didn't want to leave me by myself. I rolled my eyes at him and told him to quit being stupid. I was fine. Nothing more than a little head cold. _

* * *

><p><em>On our fourth day, I woke up and felt as fit a fiddle. Which was awesome because that was the day I had booked our Berlin Walk and the City Night Cruise later that evening. And there was no way in hell I was missing that. <em>

_At about noon, we met out tour group at a McDonald's. Yeah, weird right? After all of the groups vouchers were checked, we began our four hour walk through Berlin. The walk basically covered all of Berlins past, starting with the rise and fall of the Third Reich. We stood above Hitler's bunker, where he and Eva Braun killed themselves as the Red Army invaded Berlin in 1945 and we also got to see the new bunker excavations. It gave me goosebumps to know that one of history's most evil leaders died just yards below my feet. Then we journeyed into the Cold War era. We got to see the Berlin Wall and learned why it went up in the first place. As the tour guide talked about how horrible life was in the east, a weird look flashed across Gilberts face. It was almost anger, but not quite. Anger mixed with a little sadness, maybe? I don't know, but I hadn't ever seen him look like that before and it worried me a little bit. I asked him if he was okay and he said he was fine and left it at that. I didn't push the subject. _

_Next we visited the infamous Checkpoint Charlie intersection. Now, it was home to an emerging business district. Then we saw the Victory Column, which was built to commemorate the Prussian victory in the Danish-Prussian war. And by the time it was completed, the Prussians had also been victorious in the Austro-Prussian and the Franco-Prussian wars, giving the statue new purpose. When the tour guide said that it was "unbridled Prussian military arrogance at it's best," I heard Gilbert scoff and mutter that the Prussians had every right to be arrogant and proud of their military strength. Then we finally made it to the Brandenburg Gate. They took us through the footsteps of Napoleon, Bismark, the German Kaisers, the Nazis and the Allied forces as the struggle for European and world power shifted from east to west. It's amazing that, having stood alone in the Death Strip for twenty-eight years, it now symbolized the rebirth of the reunified metropolis. And I must say, it was impressive, intimidating, and beautiful all at the same time. Gilbert and I decided to come back at night to see it lit up._

_The group then made it's way to the Reichstag. As we got closer to the building, I could see that it was riddled with thousands of bullet holes. I reached out and ran my fingers across one of the small craters. I wondered about the man who had fired this shot, where he was from, and what he went through before finally making it to Berlin. Maybe he was American, British, or Canadian and fought his way through France and Belgium. Or perhaps he was Russian and had made the long trek from his homeland to stop a mad man. Then we visited the Berlin Palace. And as we stood before the ruins of the palace, we were told the story of the collapse of the Soviet Union, the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the unification of Germany. It was here where, in 1989, hundreds of thousands of East Germans chanted "WE ARE THE PEOPLE." After seeing footage of it in documentaries, actually being here sent chills down my spine and envisioning thousands of people coming together to start a revolution gave me goosebumps. Our final stop was Potsdamer Platz, the heart of Berlin. The tour guide described it as the future of German technology and corporate ambition. It's quite a sight to see. Skyscrapers, numerous shops, and even a piece of the Berlin Wall. As the group went their separate ways, I was glad we decided to do this. I had a ton of fun and learned a ton more. _

_Even though the last stop of the tour was relatively close to our hotel, I couldn't walk another step, even if you paid me. We hailed a taxi and headed back to the hotel. _

"_How ya feeling?" Gilbert asked as I sat down on the couch with my laptop. _

"_I'm fine," I sighed as I opened an email from my mother. "My feet are killing me, but other than that, I feel great."_

"_Awesome," he smiled, sitting down next to me. "Hey, what time is our cruise tonight?"_

"_Um, 6:30, I think. Why?"_

"_I was thinking about taking a nap," he yawned. _

"_Well, it's 4:30 now. So you have an hour and a half."_

"_Awesome," he grunted as he kicked his shoes off and leaned his head back. Gilbert was asleep within two minutes._

_While he napped, I replied to my Moms email and uploaded all of the pictures from our walk onto Facebook. By the time I had them all uploaded, captioned, and tagged, it was a quarter to six. I decided I should probably change my clothes and do something with my hair. _

_An hour later, we were cruising down the river Spree, watching the sunset and seeing most of the city lit up. It looked completely different at night. _

"_Damn, this is a perfect way to end the day," Gilbert sighed as were sitting in a couple lounge chairs on the deck. _

"_Yeah, I did a good job planning this," I agreed. _

"_You should be like, a vacation planner or something," Gilbert laughed. _

"_Dude, that would be awesome," I exclaimed. "Telling people where to go and what they should do."_

_Gilbert laughed again. "So, Miss Vacation Planner, what's on the agenda for tomorrow?"_

"_Tomorrow," I said slowly. "You get to meet my aunt Gretchen."_

* * *

><p><em>At one o'clock the next afternoon, we were walking up the path leading to my aunt Gretchen's house. Before we could even get up the porch stairs, my favorite aunt swung the front door open and smiled widely. <em>

"_Renata!" she squealed, rushing down the stairs towards us. Aunt Gretchen hadn't changed one bit. She was still a short, plump woman with one of the sweetest faces you'll ever see. "It's great to see you, liebe!"_

"_It's amazing to see you too!" I laughed as she wrapped her arms around my neck. I hugged her back fiercely. _

_Aunt Gretchen pulled away and cupped my face with both of her hands. "I swear, you get more and more beautiful the older you get, kätzchen," she grinned, using her nickname for me. Then she finally noticed Gilbert and started eyeballing him critically. "Who's this?"_

"_Aunt Gretchen, this is my boyfriend Gilbert," I said, stepping aside. "Gil, this is my Aunt Gretchen."_

"_It's a pleasure to meet you, ma'am," Gilbert said rather politely. Yeah, he better be nice. I'd hurt him if he wasn't. _

"_Are you treating her better than that Danish bastard she was with?" she asked, glaring at him. _

"_I am. Believe me, I would never hurt your niece," Gilbert said with a serious look in his eyes._

_After that, Gretchen warmed up to Gilbert and treated him like he was family. For the next three hours, we sat around her kitchen table and talked about anything and everything. At first, she insisted upon speaking English until I started speaking German. She was amazed at how well I knew the language and complimented me on how beautifully I spoke it. Gretchen was also pleased to find out the Gilbert was German too. She asked him where he had grown up and things like that. Then she pulled out a photo album with a ton of embarrassing pictures of me from when I was younger. Gilbert got a kick out of them. While Gretchen put the photo album away, I explained to Gilbert that this was the neighborhood where I spent many childhood summers. Grammy Ilsa's house was just around the corner from here. So, after we said our goodbyes to aunt Gretchen, we walked over to the house I loved so dearly. The second it came into view, so many memories flooded my mind. Smiling, I remembered climbing the huge tree in the front yard and helping my grandmother with the laundry. I surreptitiously peered into the backyard and saw that the blueberry bushes were still there. I remembered picking so many one time, that my fingers were stained indigo for a week. But it was well worth it. Grammy made the best blueberry muffins ever. My eyes began stinging with tears as I imagined my beloved Grammy Ilsa standing on the porch. I missed her so much. After quickly snapping a few pictures, we headed for a nearby train station. Gilbert was talking me to one of his favorite beer gardens, just outside Berlin. _

"_Gott, this is what we need back home," Gilbert said, leaning back in his chair and locking his hands behind his head. _

"_A beer garden?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at him. _

"_Ja," he shrugged. "There's a huge German population in town and I think one would be successful."_

"_Maybe you should open one," I joked, still staring at him. _

"_I really should," he said slowly. "Dude, think about it. It'd be a total hit! All the Germans back home would have somewhere to chill. They wouldn't have to go to bars that never have decent German beer. The food would have to be awesome, too. And we'd finally have a place to have an Oktoberfest!"_

"_Babe, I was just kidding," I said seriously. "You can't honestly be thinking about opening one."_

"_I think I am," he nodded slowly._

"_Where are you going to get the money?" I asked, trying to be realistic about this. "No offense, but there's no way in hell you can save up the money working at a café."_

"_That's what bank loans are for," Gilbert grinned. _

"_And that's also an awesome way to get into debt," I shook my head. _

"_But once it opens, I'll start making a profit and be able to pay it off in no time," he said confidently. _

"_You don't know that. What if it's an utter failure?"_

"_Then I'll deal with it if that happens. But I don't think it will."_

_I just glared at him. Trying to get Gilbert to see something realistically is like trying to convince a three year old that broccoli is good. It's just not going to happen. _

* * *

><p><em>Over the next five days, Gilbert and I did a few more touristy things, like toured museums, we visited the Memorial for the Murdered Jews of Europe and the bombed out spire of the Memorial Church. And we also hung out with a few of his friends. Gil's friends were…awesome. I especially liked Keefer and his fiancée, Anya. She was half Russian and flippin' cool as shit! We went out with them the most. Gilbert even went so far as to have Anya talk to me about his beer garden ambition. I had a funny feeling that he wasn't going to this up until he at least tried. <em>

_Before we knew it, we only had three days left. I couldn't believe how fast these two weeks flew by. I guess that saying is true; Time flies when you're having fun. Two days before leaving, we took a forty minute train ride to Potsdam for the Prussia's Wonderland walking tour. _

_First, we visited the manorial residence of Germany's last Kaiser, Wilhelm II, which was used by Churchill, Truman and Stalin through the Potsdam Conference. Then we made our way through the Dutch Quarter to the stunning Sanssouci Palace of Frederick the Great. God, that palace was beautiful. We were actually asked to wear giant over-sized slippers while touring the palace. I swear there were statues around every corner and case upon case of crystal. When we walked by a display case that showed Frederick's flute, Gilbert paused and stared at it with the strangest expression ever. It was almost as if he wanted to pick the flute up and play it. Which was weird because he hadn't ever told me he wanted to play. After Sanssouci, we saw the Garnisonkirche where the ceremonial handshake between President Paul von Hindenburg and Chancellor Adolf Hitler took place on March 21, 1933, symbolizing a coalition of the Reichswehr and Nazism. Then finally, we visited the gigantic New Palace, which was built to celebrate the end of the Seven Years' War. It had over two hundred rooms and four hundred statues. It was insanely huge. After that we saw the Roman baths and the beautiful Chinese Tea House on our way back to the train station. _

_After boarding the train back to Berlin, I realized I was only about an hour from doing something I had been waiting ten years to do. _

_As I knelt down in front of Grammy Ilsa's grave, I started clearing away the leaves and sticks. I placed a bouquet of yellow roses at the base of the headstone and began murmuring to her in German. I told her just how much I loved and missed her. I let her know that everyone was doing just fine and that they also loved and missed her greatly. And with tears flowing down my face, I introduced her to Gilbert. He kneeled down beside me and said hello. _

"_Remember Grammy, how you always told me you hoped I would grow up, meet a nice German boy, and fall in love?" I chuckled through the tears. "Well, you got your wish." _

_I closed my eyes and could see her face. That beautifully aged and wrinkled face. She smiled that eye crinkling smile of hers and I cried even harder. Gilbert wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me closer to him. I leaned my head on his shoulder and tried to calm myself down. _

_Five minutes later, I said my goodbyes with a heavy heart and then we made our way to Gilberts grandfathers grave, which happened to be in the same cemetery. _

_While he told his grandfather about pretty much everything, I pulled the weeds away from the gravestone and placed a bouquet of blue cornflowers in the bronze vase attached to it. I looked over at Gilbert and smiled at how animatedly he talked. After introducing me, we stood there for a few silent minutes before walking the fifty or so yards to his parents grave site. _

"Here lie Wilhelm Beilschmidt and Karoline von Wachstein-Beilschmidt; Beloved son, daughter and parents," _read the simple granite headstone. Gilbert sighed heavily as he knelt down and ran his hand over the smooth stone. When he didn't say anything after a few minutes, I took it upon myself to say something. I began by telling them my name and apologizing for Ludwig not being there. Gilbert then stood up, took my hand, and finally started talking to his parents. He told them that he and Ludwig were doing good and that he was glad I was there to meet them. _

"_And look Mutti, I gave her your necklace. I hope you don't mind," he laughed. Gilbert squeezed my hand and I looked up at him to see a single tear rolling down his cheek. _

* * *

><p><em>Later that evening, just as the sun was setting, we were having dinner in the restaurant atop the Fernsehturm Berlin. Ever since we left the cemetery, Gilbert had been unusually quiet. And now, as I watched him staring out the window while resting his chin in the palm of his hand, I noticed that his eyes looked a million miles away. I wonder if he's sad about tomorrow being our last day here? That's quite understandable. This is his home. It's always hard leaving. <em>

"_Gil?" I said quietly. _

"_Hm?" he answered, still staring out the window. _

"_Are you okay?" I asked despite already knowing the answer. _

"_Mhm," was all he responded. _

_I pursed my lips and cocked an eyebrow. I wish I had the ability read minds. Then I wouldn't have to fish things out of him. "I want you to move out when we get home," I sighed, merely trying to get his attention. _

_Gilbert quickly twisted his head around and stared ay me, completely dumbfounded. "Was?"_

"_It's about time you showed up," I chuckled. "Are you okay? You've hardly touched your dinner."_

"_Oh," he said, looking down at his plate. "Yeah, I'm fine."_

"_You sure?" I asked flatly. "You've been like this most of the afternoon."_

"_Ja ja," Gilbert said impatiently. "I'm fine."_

"_You're lying," I said, leaning back in my chair and crossing my arms. "You said you'd never lie to me."_

_Gilbert sighed while rolling his eyes. "I don't wanna talk about it."_

"_Why not?"_

"_Because talking about feelings is so girly and lame and totally un-awesome," he whined like a child._

"_Oh, c'mon! You've done it before," I reminded him. "Maybe you'll feel better after you talk about it."_

"_I doubt it," he muttered under his breath. _

"_Gilbert Frederick Beilschmidt," I hissed. "Sometimes, dealing with you is like dealing with a five year old!"_

_Gilbert glared at me, then took a deep breath. "All right, I'll tell you. It's…a lot of things. One, my parents. I know I visit their graves every year, but this time, for some strange reason, made me realize just how much I miss them. Maybe it was because you were with me and how you kind of remind me of Mutti. It's your eyes, I think. And how sweet and motherly you can be sometimes. Second, I'm nervous about tomorrow. I haven't seen the house in about six years and I'm not sure how I'll react. I have a lot of memories, good and bad, of that house. And on top of all of that, we're going home the day after tomorrow and I'm gonna miss Berlin." Then he sighed as if a great burden had just been lifted off his shoulders. _

"_There. Isn't that better?" I smiled. _

"_A little," he admitted hesitantly. _

"_I know you miss your parents. That's only natural," I said softly, still smiling at him. "Don't worry about tomorrow. You'll be fine, okay? And I'm gonna miss Berlin too, but we both knew we'd have to go home eventually."_

"_I know, but it still sucks," he pouted. "Sometimes I wish I still lived here."_

"_Really?" I said, shocked. "But if you were still living here, we never would've met. And you wouldn't have the most awesome-est girlfriend ever."_

"_True," Gilbert grinned, starting to look more like his normal self. "Maybe we should move here."_

"_You've got to be kidding, right?" I exclaimed. "Just the other day, you were talking about opening a beer garden back home. Now, you're talking about moving here?"_

"_Ja, think about it, spatzi," he said excitedly. "You have family here and we'd have my friends too. You know the language, so that won't be an issue. And you'd have no problem at all finding a job."_

"_No, you can't honestly be considering this!" I said exasperatedly. "I can't just drop everything back home and move halfway across the globe! My family, my friends, my job. I'm sorry, but I can't do that. Aren't you happy back home?"_

"_I am," Gilbert sighed. "But can't you see the life we could have here? How awesome it would be?"_

"_Not really. Like I said, I can't just drop everything and leave, babe. As much as I love this city, I can't imagine living here."_

"_You're right," he finally said after a few minutes of silence. "It was just a wild idea that popped into my head."_

"_Don't worry about it," I mumbled, looking down at my plate. I hate it when he does that. When he forces me to the one to burst his bubble._

* * *

><p><em>Early the next morning, we headed out to the house where Gilbert and Ludwig grew up. It was a quaint, one-story house with a massive backyard. As the taxi slowly pulled up to the curb, I heard Gilbert sigh. I looked him in the eyes and saw a mix of happiness and sadness. More happiness though, so that was a good sign. He smiled and started telling me stories. Things like chasing their dogs around and playing with their grandfather. Then his voice grew sad when he mentioned that this was the last place he had seen his parents alive. They left Gil and Ludwig with a babysitter to go out one night and never came home. They were in a horrible car accident and died instantly. After that, their grandfather moved in and continued raising them. I glanced down at my phone to see what the time was and I heard the quietest sniffle ever. I quickly looked back up at Gilbert and saw a few tears streaming down his face. I reached over and slightly stroked his face, trying to wipe the tears away. Gilbert grabbed my hand and interlocked our fingers. <em>

"_I'm glad you came with me, spatzi," he said softly._

"_Me too," I whispered in response. Then he said he was done and told the driver to take us back to the hotel. _

_The rest of the day consisted of us trying to get things organized and repacked. Why is it always impossible to get things back into suitcases? They went in there, so why won't they go back? Maybe it was because I had a few of the hotels towels in one of my suitcases. For what I was paying each night, I felt it was my right to take them. After we finally managed to get it all packed, we decided to just chill at the hotel. We watched TV and ordered room service. It was a very peaceful way to end an awesome vacation. _

* * *

><p><em>At 5 a.m. the next morning, we were sitting on a plane, waiting for it to take off. Gilbert was quiet the entire taxi ride to the airport. <em>

"_You okay?" I asked after we got situated on the plane.._

"_Yeah, I just don't wanna leave," he said quietly._

"_Think of it this way," I said. "We're going back to our house and Gus-Gus. And not to mention Ludwig, Antonio, and Francis. I'm sure you're excited to see them and tell them all about the trip."_

"_Now that I think about it, I am," Gilbert smiled at me. "It's not like I'll never come back. We'll visit next year."_

"_Exactly," I smiled back. _

* * *

><p><strong>Translations: <em>(Most of them you probably alread<em>**_**y**_**_ know_)****  
>Gute Nacht: Good Night<br>Ja: Yes  
>Liebe: Love<br>Kätzchen: Kitten  
>Spatzi: Little sparrow<br>Was: What  
>Mutti: Mom<br>**

**Anyway, I hope you liked it. Don't forget to review please! And the next chapter will be out when it's out, I guess. Haha~  
>See y'all next time!<br>**_  
><em>


	10. An Obligatory Cup of Coffee and The Lie

**Okies, here's the next chapter. Now that we have the trip to Germany behind us, time to get back to normal life. So be prepared for a little drama in this chapter. Anyway, enough of that. Go read! :D**

_**Disclaimer**** Time:**_

**I do no own Hetalia or any of the characters mentioned. Just Ren... ;P**

* * *

><p>I walked back into the office to hop on the computer to check my email and Facebook. While I waited for everything to load, I thought about the weeks after Gilbert and I got back from Germany. Everything went back to normal. Gilbert still occasionally brought up the beer garden thing again. And he had given up on the idea of us moving to Berlin once he realized how awesome things were here. When I glanced over at my phone, I saw that I had left my coffee cup from the café sitting next to it. It reminded me of the first time I saw Timo and Berwald since the accident and how bad I felt about not contacting them sooner…<p>

* * *

><p><em>Scrolling through the numbers in my phone, I hoped that I still had the right number for Timo. If it wasn't the right one, I might have to look him up on Facebook. When I found the number, I hit dial and crossed my fingers. A sweet and slightly accented voice answered after the third ring. <em>

"_Hello?"_

"_Timo?"_

"_Yes, this is Timo," he said cheerfully. "Who's this?"_

"_It's Renata," I answered quietly._

_A split second of silence. "Oh my God! Ren! It's so great to hear from you!"_

"_I'm so glad I had the right number," I laughed. "Look, I'm sorry it's taken this long to call you. I should've called you as soon as I got out of the hospital, but I got busy with things and it completely slipped my mind."_

"_Don't apologize. I could've called you too. But life does tend to get in the way sometimes."_

"_Yes, it does," I agreed. Then an idea came to me. "Do you and Berwald have plans for later this afternoon? I'd love to see you. Maybe we could grab a cup of coffee and catch up?"_

"_That sounds great! Berwald was actually talking about you the other day."_

"_Really?" I said, surprised._

"_Yeah. He was wondering how you were doing. He'll be happy to see you."_

_Berwald? Happy to me? Why was that so hard to believe? He never seemed happy to see anybody. "It'll be great to see him too and to be able to thank both of you for what you did."_

"_Thanks isn't necessary. Just knowing you're happy is enough for me," Timo said sweetly._

_Aww, I love Timo. I swear, he has got to be the sweetest kid ever. Before we hung up, we made plans to meet at the coffee shop near their apartment. I was really nervous about seeing them. It was the first time I had contact with any of Simons friends since the accident. I had a nagging feeling that they might blame me for what happened. I mean, after all, he was their friend. _

_But that feeling was squashed the minute Timo saw me and a huge grin spread across his face. When I reached the table, Timo jumped up and proceeded to glomp me with so much force that he almost knocked me over. _

"_It's so good to see you! You look amazing, Ren," Timo laughed. _

"_You haven't changed a bit, kid," I laughed with him. "Hello Berwald," I added as I sat down opposite of them. Berwald nodded and uttered a quiet hello._

_When our coffee was served, Timo asked how I had been. So I pretty much told him everything. Starting with how Simon became a stalker._

"_And I have to admit, I was nervous about seeing you two," I confessed. "I was afraid you blamed me for what happened to Simon."_

"_Renata, no-," Timo started, but was interrupted by Berwald._

"_No, we don't blame you," he said in his deep voice. "Simon had his demons and succumbed to them. You were a victim, not the cause."_

_I just sat there and stared at Berwald in shock. I think that was the most he has ever said to me. _

"_He's right," Timo smiled. "I'm just glad he sent that email. We probably wouldn't be sitting here if he hadn't."_

"_Speaking of that, do you have any idea as to why he sent it in the first place?"_

"_Well, he didn't give an explanation in the email. But a part of me thinks that maybe he didn't want to hurt you. I believe that you were the one person he ever truly loved, so maybe he just wanted you there with him, at the end."_

"_If he ever loved me, he had a funny way of showing it," I said sourly. _

"_I know, Ren," Timo said sadly. "And that's something I want to apologize for. We tried to stop him. I can't tell you how many talks Berwald and I had with him. But obviously, they didn't work. It broke my heart every time I saw you with a new bruise. I was actually happy when I found out you left him. Because then I knew you could be happy."_

"_I wasn't truly happy until he was dead," I whispered into my coffee. _

_After that, we changed the subject. I told them about my life with Gilbert and how awesome it was. An hour later, after Timo and I added each other on Facebook and promised to keep in touch, we hugged fiercely and said goodbye._

* * *

><p>After my email was checked, I got up and wandered into the kitchen, in search of something to eat. When I didn't find anything in the pantry, I raided the fridge. Hm, leftover Mac n Cheese it is then. After the microwave dinged, I noticed how eerily quiet the house was. It reminded me of the time I had kicked Gilbert out for a few days, after catching him in a lie…<p>

* * *

><p><em>It was a beautiful June afternoon. I was out shopping for Mattie and Alfie's upcoming birthdays. Even though they were a month away, I was shopping now for two reasons; one because I didn't want to play the procrastination game this year and second, I had the afternoon to myself. Gilbert had the day off and made plans to go see a movie with Antonio. <em>

_But as I looked in a shop window, the reflection of silver-blonde hair caught my eye. I focused on it and saw Gilbert sitting outside a bistro…with another woman. And she looked so damn familiar. I quickly ducked inside the shop to keep from being seen. And as I stared at the woman with the long, wavy light brown hair, I realized with an audible gasp who she was. It was Liz, his ex-girlfriend. What the hell? I thought she moved out of town or something. Well, it's quite obvious that she either moved back or is just visiting. But why didn't Gilbert tell me she was in town? Then I remembered how he was acting earlier, right before he left. He seemed nervous and almost as if there was something he wanted to tell me, but couldn't or just simply wouldn't. It's now clear to see exactly what that was. I wonder if he really went to a movie with Antonio, like he said. Only one way to find out. I whipped out my phone and dialed Gilbert's number. I watched him as it rang. He pulled his phone out, looked at it , and then slid it back in his pocket as it went to voice mail. _

"_That bastard," I hissed as I dialed Toni's number. He'd tell me the truth. _

"_Hello?"_

"_Hey Toni. Is Gilbert close by? I just tried to call him, but he didn't answer," I said innocently. _

"_Uhh," Antonio hesitated. "I think…he's in the restroom."_

"_Really?" I said, now angry because he had lied to me. "So he's totally not with Liz right now? I'm just seeing things, then."_

_Antonio sighed. "I told him to tell you." Then mumbled something in Spanish. "He's so stupid."_

"_Yeah, and he's also fucking dead."_

_'Gilbert lied to me. He actually fucking lied to me,' I thought to myself as I sat on the front porch, waiting for him to get home. To some people, this would be overreacting. But to me, I wasn't reacting enough. Lying to me is, quiet possibly, the worst thing someone could do to me. It's worse than cheating on me, in my book. Why the fuck didn't he just tell me? I wouldn't have minded. I wouldn't have gotten mad. I can't believe he thought lying to me would be better than telling the truth! Sometimes, I have no clue what he's thinking. We've had the lying discussion before. And he promised he'd never lie to me. So in other words, he lied about never lying to me. I sat there and continued fuming for another twenty minutes until Gilbert finally showed up. I heard the music before I saw the car. He was blaring 'Gott ist ein Popstar' by Oomph! as he pulled in the driveway. He turned the car off and opened the door. _

"_Hey spatzi," he grinned as he slammed the door. _

'_Yeah, keep smiling,' I thought to myself. 'Cause here in a few minutes you won't feel like smiling.' I cut my eyes at him. _

"_Everything okay?" Gilbert asked nervously, talking his sunglasses off as he walked up to me. _

"_Just. Peachy." I said, emphasizing each syllable. "How was the movie?"_

"_Okay, I guess," he said slowly. _

"_What'd you see?"_

"_Some lame ass sci-fi movie," he shrugged. _

"_What's the name of it?" I pressed. _

"_I don't remember the name of it," Gilbert said smoothly. _

"_Do you still have the ticket stub?" I asked, even though I knew he didn't have one. _

_Gilbert started searching his pockets and even his wallet before answering. "I guess I don't."_

_I nodded slowly before letting the cat out of the bag, so to speak. "How's Liz?"_

"_Oh, she…" he froze. Gilbert closed his eyes and sighed. "Scheisse. _

"_Yeah," I sighed. "Would you like to explain to me why you thought lying would be better than being up front and honest with me?"_

"_Okay, so I didn't quite think things through," Gilbert started, but I interrupted him._

"_And there's the fucking problem Gilbert," I yelled. "You never think things through!"_

"_Why are you bitching at me?" he yelled back. "It's not like I've been fucking another girl or whatever."_

"_So I guess the conversations we had before we ever got together meant nothing to you. Or maybe they went in one ear and right out the other."_

"_What the fuck are you talking about?"_

"_I'm talking about the conversations about lying!" I yelled. "About how I hate being lied to and how you said you'd never lie to me! I guess that was a lie too, huh?"_

"_Seriously?" he exclaimed. "You're overreacting, Renata."_

"_Overreacting?" I said as my eyebrows disappeared into my hairline. "Did I or did I not tell you that lying was just about the worse thing someone could do to me? No matter how big or small said lie is. I. Fucking. Hate. Being. Lied. To!" _

"_Oh mein Gott! I can't believe you're freaking out like this! You're so fucking melodramatic!" _

"_Melodramatic?" I repeated. "You wanna see melodramatic? I think you should go stay at Ludwig's for a few days."_

"_You're shitting me, right?" Gilbert said humorlessly. "You're kicking me out?"_

"_Yeah, for a few days. Or until we can calm down enough to have a civilized conversation, like adults."_

_He just stood there and stared at me, completely dumbfounded. "Ya know what? Fine. We'll talk once you've calmed down and start being fucking reasonable!" Gilbert stomped off towards his car and I headed into the house. I slammed the door, and proceeded to breakdown as I slid down the door, to the floor. _

_Fifteen minutes later, after finally managing to calm down, I went and grabbed the case of beer from the pantry and headed out to the backyard. I twisted the cap off of a bottle as I plopped down on the porch swing. I downed half the bottle in one gulp. Sighing, I leaned my head back and stared at the sky._

"_Why do I have to fall for the assholes?" I asked the clouds. _

"_Ren?" A feather light voice said. _

_I whipped my head to the side and saw Mattie standing there. "What are you doing here, Matt?" I asked, a little harsher than I meant to. _

"_Ludwig called me," he frowned. "But if you want to be alone, I can leave."_

_I sighed. "No, stay. Please." I went back to staring at the clouds and began crying again. _

"_Oh Ren," Mattie sighed as he sat down. He put his arm around my shoulders and pulled me closer. I scooted over and wrapped my arm around his waist. _

"_Matt?" I asked thickly. _

"_What sweetie?"_

"_Why couldn't I have fallen for someone like you?" I pouted. "Why couldn't we have made things work between us?"_

"_Well," he said slowly. "I believe we're destined to be with other people. I haven't met that person yet, but you have."_

"_Who? Gilbert?" I scoffed. "I highly doubt that."_

"_Oh c'mon. I know you two butt heads and fight sometimes, and he can be a moron, but you're made for each other."_

"_He lied to me, Matt. I can't imagine being made for someone who lies to me. And then has the audacity to say I'm being 'melodramatic'."_

"_But don't you think you are overreacting, just a bit?" he asked, timidly._

_I pulled back and stared at him in shock. "Are you siding with him?"_

"_I'm siding with no one. I'm Switzerland."_

"_So you're not siding with me either? And Switzerland isn't neutral any more."_

"_You know what I mean, Renata. I'm trying my best to look at this from an unbiased point of view."_

"_I know you are," I sighed as I snuggled up to him again. "Maybe you're right. Maybe I did overreact." I felt Mattie nod his head slightly. _

"_But you were mad, so I guess it's understandable."_

"_Were?" I repeated. "Still am."_

"_Okay, I'll give you that."_

"_Maybe I'll call him tomorrow and we'll talk. But as of right now, I just wanna be pissed."_

"_Then you be pissed," Matt chuckled as he squeezed me._

_Just then, my phone started vibrating on my pocket. I pulled it out and saw that I had a text from Gilbert._

"_I'm ready to talk if you're ready to apologize," is what it said. _

"_Excuse me?" I screeched at the phone. "You have got to be kidding me?"_

"_What?" Mattie asked, confused. I thrust the phone into his hand. "What an idiot," he sighed. _

"_That doesn't even begin to cover it," I growled. I grabbed the phone back and replied, "Fuck off, Gilbert Beilschmidt! I'll talk to you when you stop being an asshole!" Needless to say, that didn't get a response. _

_For the rest of the evening, I proceeded to get shit-faced drunk and I ranted and raved about Gilbert. Stupid German bastard. I knew I was being ridiculous, but what he did pissed me off to no end. And Mattie. God, he was the best friend a girl could ever ask for. If I didn't have him, my life would suck. After he cut me off at a little past midnight, Mattie helped me upstairs and put me to bed. _

"_Mattie?" I slurred after he tucked me in and headed towards the door. _

"_What, sweetie?" he sighed. _

"_Will you stay with me? I really don't wanna sleep alone tonight," I said, choking up slightly. _

_Matt sighed again. "If it'll keep you from crying."_

"_Thanks," I mumbled as he walked around to the other side of the bed. He sat down on the edge and kicked his shoes off. After pulling his jeans off, he slid under the covers. I rolled over and cuddled up next to him. _

"_Thanks for being so awesome, Mattie," I yawned. Matt kissed my forehead and muttered something in French. Then I passed out. _

_I woke up the next morning with a killer headache and slightly confused as to why there was a tangle of blonde hair in my face. I rolled over onto my back and put a hand over my face. I have got to stop drinking so much when I'm mad. Sighing, I sat up without trying to wake Mattie. But it failed. He rolled over onto his stomach and pulled to covers up to his chin. He opened his big, beautiful blue eyes and groggily stared at me. _

"_Sorry I woke you," I whispered. _

"_S'okay," he muttered, still half asleep. _

"_You can go back to sleep, if you want," I said as I smoothed his hair away from his face. He nodded and immediately fell back to sleep. _

_As quietly as I could, I grabbed a pair of jeans and a t-shirt from my dresser and left the room. I changed and brushed my hair in the bathroom down the hall. I glanced into the mirror as I was walking out and my necklace caught my eye. Staring at it, I felt a wave of sadness wash over me. Ugh, I need to stop this. I'm acting like we're broken up and we are most certainly not broken up. I'm just super pissed and totally overreacting. Sighing at my own stupidity, I went downstairs to feed Gus and to make a pot of coffee. While waiting for the coffee to perk, I hated how quiet the house was. My house is never this quiet. If Matt wasn't asleep, I'd turn some music on. No, I just need to get out of here for a little while. Twenty minutes later, after leaving Mattie a note, I was heading out the front door to go for a walk. I had my iPod on full blast as I listened to the angriest music I had and took my frustration out on the pavement beneath my feet. After circling the block about ten times, I headed back to the house. I opened the door and greeted by the delicious scent of pancakes. After kicking my shoes off, I made my way into the kitchen._

"_Matthew Williams!" I said loudly. He jumped and looked at me, absolutely terrified for some reason. "Are you making some for me too?"_

"_Yes I am," he said breathlessly, as I was doubled over with laughter in the doorway. _

"_Sorry, I didn't mean to freak you out," I giggled. "I couldn't resist."_

"_I know," he sighed as he flipped a pancake onto plate. "Here." Mattie held the plate out at me. _

"_Thanks sweetie," I said as I took the plate and kissed his cheek. _

"_You're welcome," Mattie mumbled as he blushed a delicate pink._

_As I finished my fifth pancake, I dropped my fork onto the empty plate and cut myself off. I could've easily eaten five more. Mattie's pancakes were the best ever. While he cleaned up, I grabbed my laptop and checked Facebook. I only had a few notifications and one was from Gilbert. It said he had posted a link on my wall. Rolling my eyes, I clicked the notification and was taken to the lyric video for Daughtry's 'It's Not Over.'_

"_We need to talk," Gilbert had commented about an hour after posting the video. _

_Sighing, I replied, "Yeah, we do. But at this point, anything we say to each other will be taken the wrong way and we'll just end up fighting again."_

_After Mattie left, I busied myself with cleaning and, oddly enough, gardening. When the house was spotless, I went to a nursery and bought orange tiger lilies and planted them in the bare flowerbeds of the front yard. By the time I was done planting them, I looked up to see that the sun was already setting. I headed back inside to start my Sunday night routine. I had dinner, showered, and put a load of clothes in the washer. All the while, absolutely hating the deafening silence of the house. I tried to listen to some music, but I couldn't decide on one thing to listen to. I even tried the TV, but there wasn't anything decent on. So after putting the clothes in the dryer, I called Mattie. _

"_Hello?" he answered._

"_Do you love me?" I asked. _

"_What kind of question is that? You're my best friend, so of course I love you."_

"_Then will you come over? I'm bored, there's nothing on TV, and my house is too damn quiet," I said sadly. _

_After a few seconds of silence, Matt finally answered. "I'll come over. But just so you know, I'm not the one you should've called, Ren."_

"_I know," I whispered. _

"_I'll be over in a little while," he said before hanging up. _

_While I waited, I checked Facebook again. Gilbert had posted another video on my wall. This time, it was 'I'm Lost Without You' by Blink 182. I started to feel bad for not calling him. I really was being melodramatic and somewhat immature about this. And Mattie was right. I shouldn't have called him. I should've called Gilbert. He was the one I needed to talk to. He was the one I wanted and needed to see. I decided then that I would call him after work the next day. _

_As soon as I got to work the following morning, Ludwig asked to see me in his office. He pretty much told me how this was affecting Gilbert and that I needed to fix things. But at the same time, he understood why I did what I did. _

"_Renata, he loves you and you love him. The simple fact that you wear that necklace is proof of it. I know he needs to apologize, and I've told him that. But you need to make the first move. Because if you wait for him to call you, you'll be waiting for a very long time," Ludwig said before dismissing me from his office. _

_Later that day, I sat on the porch and stared at my phone for a good five minutes before dialing Gilbert's number. He answered after the first ring. _

"_Spatzi?"_

_The minute I heard his voice, I smiled. Even though I was still mad at him, I had to admit that I loved and missed him like crazy. "Hey. If you're not busy, you should probably come over. We really need to talk."_

"_I'll be there in a few minutes," he said quickly before hanging up. _

_When he said a few minutes, he meant it. He was there within five. After slamming his car door shut, Gilbert walked over to me and stood there. I opened my mouth to say something, but he beat me to it. _

"_Can I say something first?" Gilbert asked._

"_Go ahead," I said quietly. _

"_You know, I never thought I'd be in a relationship where I'd say I'm sorry so often. Before I met you, I never apologized for anything. Even when I knew I was wrong. When I was with Liz, I apologized for nothing. Maybe that's what broke us up. I don't know. Anyway, with all that aside, here I am, apologizing to you for something stupid I did. And do you wanna know why? Because I love you and I can't and won't lose you over something stupid. The last two days have been so unawesome and I don't ever want to do that again. So, from now on, I will be up front and honest with you. About everything. I promise." And as I stared into his eyes, I knew he meant every word of it. There was no denying the sincerity in his eyes. _

_I got to my feet, walked over to him, and wrapped my arms around his neck. Gilbert breathed a sigh of relief as he wound his arms around me. _

"_I'm sorry," he whispered into my hair. "Really. I am."_

"_I know," I muttered back. "And I'm sorry. For overreacting and kicking you out."_

"_Don't be. You were pissed and did what you needed to do."_

_I pulled back and looked into his maroon eyes. "I love you, Gilbert Beilschmidt."_

"_And I love you, Renata Callahan," he said softly, before pressing his lips to mine._

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><p><strong>The fluff! It buuurrnssss! Heh, sorry for the uber fluffy ending. But I thought the situation called for it. Thanks for reading and please don't forget to review. I don't think I even got one for the last chapter... *le tear*<strong>  
><strong>See ya next time~!<strong>_  
><em>


	11. Birthday Drama and Little Pink Plus Sign

**Yay, another chapter! This one is super short compared to the last three chapters. Not even 3,000 words. I think this might even be the shortest chapter in this fic. ****Oh well, it's still an awesome chapter.**

_**Disclaimer**** Time:**_

**I do not own Hetalia or any of the characters mentioned. Wish I did though...**

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><p>While eating my Mac 'N Cheese, I walked into the living room and plopped down on the couch. I had been home for about an hour and was starting to really worry about Gilbert. He hadn't called, texted, or anything. But I guess no news is good news. Which meant he wasn't in a ditch or something. The blinds on the bay window were still open and I could see the snow, swirling around in the light of the streetlamp. It looked like it didn't have any plans of stopping anytime soon.<p>

Sighing, I turned the TV on and the show 'Cheaters' was just starting. I watched it for a few minutes, until they confronted the cheater and all the yelling and overall drama was about to make my head explode. It made me think about all the drama at Matt and Al's birthday party. And the slight drama before the party…

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><p><em>It was the second of July and that meant one thing: Matt and Al's joint birthday pool party. Mattie's actual birthday was the day before and we all went out to dinner. We were planning to do the same thing on the fourth for Al's birthday, but we're also going to shoot of some fireworks because it happened to be Independence Day. <em>

_While Gilbert was working on the brakes of my car, I was dancing around the house to Katy Perry's 'Hot 'N Cold' as I neatened everything up. I was in the kitchen, sorting through all the mail, when a letter from Gilbert's bank caught my eye. And being the curious/nosy person I am, I pulled the letter out of the open envelop and read it. It was a notice letting Gilbert know he had been approved for a sixty-five thousand dollar loan. My jaw dropped to the floor. 65,000 dollars? What the fuck did he need that kind of money for? More importantly, why hadn't he told me? But before I could let that sink in and get mad, I heard the unmistakable clank of a metal tool being thrown down and Gilbert growling. _

"_Gott verdammt, frau," I heard him yell, his voice getting closer. "These brake pads are completely shot! I'm surprised they were working at all. You need to pay better attention to your car."_

"_Gilbert?" I calmly whispered as I turned to face him. He was standing in the doorway that led out to the garage, all sweaty and covered in brake dust, holding a brake pad in each hand. It was positively drool worthy. 'Don't get distracted,' I told myself. _

"_Was?" he asked, raising a confused eyebrow. _

"_Could you please tell me why you need 65,000 dollars?" I asked, trying my best not get mad. "And please, for the love of God, don't lie to me."_

"_Why'd you read my mail?"_

"_Don't avoid the question."_

"_It's…" he hesitated. "… a surprise…"_

"_A surprise?" I asked, raising my own confused and skeptical eyebrow. "A 65,000 dollar surprise?"_

"_I know, I know," Gilbert said quickly, as he sat the dirty brake pads down on my gleaming countertop. "You don't believe me. But seriously, it really is a surprise."_

"_Is this a personal or business loan?" I asked, remembering his farfetched idea of opening a beer garden._

"_If I told you that, it'd totally give it away." And that right there told me it did have something to do with the beer garden thing. "Just please, trust me on this, okay?"_

_I stood there, staring at him for a few seconds before speaking. 'Trust is key in a relationship,' I reminded myself. 'You need to trust him.'_

"_Against my better judgment, I'm going to trust you on this," I said as Gilbert sighed in relief. "But if this has something to do with one of your half-witted schemes and it fails, I'll hurt you."_

"_Deal," he said, flashing his trademark grin. He gave me a quick peck on the cheek, grabbed the brake pads, and headed back into the garage. _

_I scowled at the back of his head as he walked away. I wonder if Ludwig knows anything about this. I bet he does. I mean, they're brothers. _

"_Oh and spatzi," I heard Gilbert call from the garage. "Don't even bother asking Ludwig about it either. He's been sworn to secrecy." _

_Well damn. "What are you, a mind reader?" I mumbled as I cleaned the spot where the brake pads were. _

_An hour later, we were heading to Al's in Gilbert's car. Mine was still jacked up, sitting in our garage because Gilbert didn't have time to finish working on it. As we pulled up in front of the house, I saw Al, Kayla, Kaleb, and Lilli standing in the front yard, surrounded by Mattie, Vash, and about a dozen other people. Alfred and Kaleb looked like they were arguing about something. _

"_What's going on?" Gilbert asked as we got out of the car. _

"_I'm not sure, but it doesn't look good," I answered as I slammed the car door shut and hurried over to them. _

"_I don't believe this," Kaleb yelled at Al. "How long has this been going on?" _

"_Not long," Kayla answered. "I don't understand why you're acting like this."_

"_He's my best friend, Kayla!" Kaleb yelled at her. "You're not supposed to date your brothers best friend."_

_Wait, what? Kayla and Al are dating? When the hell did that happen? _

"_And you're dating _my _best friend, but you don't see me getting all pissed and acting like a total asshole," she snapped back at him. Kaleb and Lilli are dating too? The fuck?_

"_So you can do it," Alfred said to Kaleb. "But she can't. That's a double standard, bro. And it kinda makes you a hypocrite."_

"_Fuck you," Kaleb spat at him. _

"_Whoa whoa whoa," I yelled, stepping in between them. "That's enough. Y'all need to chill the fuck out. This is a party."_

"_Stay out of this, Ren," Kaleb growled at me. "This is none of your concern."_

"_Like hell, it isn't," I shouted back. "You're my brother and she's my sister. I don't care who's dating who. You should just be happy that she's found someone. Kayla obviously seems to be happy for you."_

"_But she's with my best friend!" Kaleb screeched. _

"_And you're with hers!" I roared back. "So what's your fucking problem?"_

"_He went back on his word," Kaleb said quietly. "Alfred said he would never date either one of my sisters. And he tried for years to get with you, Ren, but it never happened. So since he didn't get you, he went after my twin."_

"_All that went out the window the minute you started seeing Lilli," Alfred said. _

_And then, without any warning at all, Kaleb launched himself at Al. They both fell backwards to the ground and, before Gilbert and Matt could separate them, Kaleb succeeded in bloodying Al's nose. _

"_Kaleb, you need to leave," I said as he freed himself from Gilbert's grip. _

"_I was just leaving anyway," he glared at me. "C'mon Lilli."_

"_I'm sorry," Lilli whispered to Kayla before following Kaleb. _

_After they were gone, I had Gilbert usher everybody into the backyard while I went inside with Kayla and Al. After we sat him down at the kitchen table, I grabbed a couple paper towels and held them up to his nose. _

"_Tilt you head back. It'll help stop the bleeding. Then I can check to make sure it's not broken." Then I turned to Kayla. "What the hell was all that about?"_

"_I think it's pretty clear what just happened," she mumbled sourly, cutting her eyes at me. _

"_Don't take that tone with me," I glared back. "How long has this been going on?"_

"_Al and I had our first date when you were in Germany."_

"_Really? And what about Kaleb and Lilli?"_

"_Since around St. Patrick's Day, I think."_

"_How did I not know about this?" I asked as I pulled the paper towels away from Alfred's nose. It was still bleeding a little, so put them back in place. _

"_You had your own stuff going on. We didn't want to bother you with it," she shrugged. _

_I rolled my eyes at her. "I don't care what's going on in my life. This is something I should've known about."_

"_I realize that now."_

_A few silent minutes passed before Al's nose finally stopped bleeding. _

"_Well," I said as I poked and prodded his nose. "It doesn't appear to be broken, so that's good. But don't be surprised if you wake up with a black eye or two tomorrow."_

"_How do you know so much about stuff like this?" Alfred asked as he stood up. _

"_Been here, done this a couple times, remember?" I said as Al sighed and nodded his head. _

"_Simon," he said dully. _

"_Yep," I said as I clapped him on the back. "If you do have a black eye, take a couple Ibuprofens and put some ice, or really anything cold, on it to help with the swelling." _

"_Thanks, Ren," Alfred smiled. _

"_Don't worry about it. Now, let's get outside. You have a party to throw!"_

_And did Al know how to throw a party. We all acted as though the scene in the front yard never even happened. We ate, drank, and had a great time. I was thrown in the pool more than once by Gilbert and Mattie. And I may or not have pushed them both in a time or two as payback. So all in all, it was an awesome party. By the time Gilbert and I got home that night, we were both slightly sunburned, exhausted, and kind of buzzed. _

"_Oh my God. I'm so tired," I sighed as I plopped down on the couch. "But I smell like twice baked death, so I should prolly go take a shower."_

"_Yeah, me too," Gilbert smirked as he pulled me to my feet. _

"_What are you doing?" I asked as he wrapped his arms around my waist. _

"_We're going to take a shower."_

"_We?" I repeated_

"_Sure, it'll save water." Then he lifted me up and slung my over his shoulder. I chuckled as he hurried up the stairs, towards our bedroom._

_About four weeks later, I started to come down with some sort of virus. I was lightheaded, always nauseated, and I got sick a few mornings. Another week went by and it got worse. I started every morning by rushing to the bathroom. _

"_Spatzi, are you okay?" Gilbert asked me one Saturday morning, through the bathroom door. He started to open the door, but I slammed it shut with my foot. _

"_Please don't come in here," I managed to get out before retching again. _

"_Maybe I should call in today?"_

"_No, go to work. I'll be fine," I said as I tried to get to my feet. _

"_You sure?"_

"_Yeah, I'm sure."_

"_Call if you need me to come home, all right?"_

"_I will."_

"_I'll see you later. Love you," he said before walking away. _

"_Love you too," I mumbled, still trying to get to my feet. He was gone about five minutes before I was completely able to get to my feet. I flushed the toilet and rinsed my mouth out. I looked in the medicine cabinet for something to take for the nausea, but didn't find anything. I went out to hallway and rummaged through the linen closet, but there wasn't anything in there either. But as I was shutting the door, a little pink box caught my eye. I cocked my head to the side as I stared at it and tried to remember the last time I needed it. And that was a little over a month ago, maybe. I ran back into the bedroom and checked the calendar on my phone. Ever since I was in high school, I always marked on the calendar the first and last days of my period. I gasped when I saw that it was a week late. I had never been late a day in my life. No, this cannot be happening. Gilbert and I are always so careful. _

"_Shit shit shit," I growled as scrolled through the contacts in my phone. No, I don't need to call Gil. It'll just freak him out. I don't want to tell him until I know for sure. I called Matt instead. _

"_Hello?"_

"_Matt, do you love me?"_

"_How many time do I have to answer this question? Yes, I love you."_

"_Good, cause I need you to come over. Like, right now," I said quickly. _

"_Is everything okay?" he asked anxiously. _

"_Um, I'm not sure. But on your way over, could you do me a huge favor and pick up a home pregnancy test?"_

_Thirty minutes later, I was pacing my bedroom while waiting for the results of the test. _

"_I swear, these have got to be the most agonizing two minutes of my life," I whispered._

"_I know. But you need to try and calm down," Mattie said quietly. Then the timer on my phone went off and I just about jumped out of my skin. _

"_Oh my God. I don't even wanna go in there and look at it now."_

"_I'll go look," Matt sighed. _

"_Thanks." I held my breath as he walked into the bathroom. _

"_Uh, Ren?" I heard him call. _

"_Yeah?"_

"_You should probably come here."_

_I slowly walked into the bathroom and stood next to him. He held out the little stick out at me. I looked down and saw a little pink plus sign. And from reading the instructions that came with the test, that only meant one thing._

"_I'm…pregnant...?"_

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><p><strong>Dun dun dun! Another cliffhanger! Is Ren really pregnant or is the test wrong, as they can be sometimes? Find out in the next chapter. Thanks for reading, and please review. I love reviews. They make me a happy panda :D<br>**


	12. Bittersweet Result and One Helluva Party

**I had planned on having this chapter out about a week ago. But I had an 'I heart Germany' fangirl relapse and couldn't write for Prussia at all. I ended up writing like, 3 reader-inserts for Germany. Not sure if I'll post them here... **

**Anyway, enjoy this chapter. You're questions regarding the end of the last chapter will be answered!**_  
><em>

**_Disclaimer Time:  
>I do not own Hetalia or any of the characters mentioned. Except for my OC's.<em>  
><strong>

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><p><em>Waiting is quite possibly the worse thing ever. It's super stressful and I hate it. Maybe that's because I'm the most impatient person ever. When I called to make a doctors appointment, they told me that they couldn't schedule me in until the following Tuesday. Which meant I'd have to wait a week until knowing whether or not I was pregnant. After making the appointment, I sat Gilbert down and gave him the news. <em>

"_Wait, say that again," Gilbert said, absolutely dumbfounded. _

"_I might be pregnant," I repeated for him. _

"_Wow," he quietly whispered. _

"_I know."_

"_What are we gonna do?"_

"_What do you mean?"_

"_Well, if you are pregnant, we'll have to get married and we'll have to put a nursery together. Oh and childproof the house. We need to pick out a name and-," Gilbert said hurriedly. _

"_Wait wait wait," I interrupted. He was starting to freak me out. "Names? Nursery? Married? We don't even know for sure if I am pregnant. Home pregnancy tests are false all the time. So, let's wait to talk about all of that until we know for sure, okay?" _

"_You're right," he sighed. "I got ahead of myself. I'm just a little freaked out right now. Being freaked out is so not awesome and I say crazy shit when I'm freaked out."_

_Over the next week, the realist and dreamer in me fought fiercely for domination. The realist pointed out things like the cost of raising a child and the cost of everything we'd need. Stretch marks and sixteen hours of agonizing labor. And feeling fat for the next nine months. Oh God, what if it's twins? But the dreamer relished the idea of being a mother and adored the idea of decorating a nursery. Picking out names with Gilbert. She smiled at the thought of Gilbert playing with their son or daughter. Who would he or she look like the most? The dreamer pictured a little boy and little girl, standing side by side, with platinum blonde hair, fair skin, and the most beautiful blue eyes she'd ever seen. _

"_Renata Callahan?" A voice called, pulling me back to reality. Gilbert and I were sitting in the waiting room of my doctors office. Doing nothing but waiting, of course. _

"_Yes?" I answered, looking up at the nurse standing in the doorway. _

"_We're ready for you now," she smiled sweetly, the corners of her eyes crinkling slightly._

"_Thank you," I smiled back as I got to me feet. I took a deep breath, grabbed Gilbert's hand, and followed the nurse. _

_After doing the usual blood pressure test and weighing me, the nurse asked me about a dozen questions. It seemed to take forever. _

"_All righty," she said after making a note in my chart. "If you'd just follow me, I'll show you to your room."_

_We passed five doors before she stopped in front of the sixth one, put my chart in the holder on the door, and motioned for us to go in. _

"_The doctor will be with you shortly," she said before closing the door. _

"_Yay, more waiting," I mumbled sarcastically as I pushed myself up onto the bed covered in that super noisy paper._

"_We should before we leave here, right?" Gilbert asked, leaning up against the wall. _

"_I hope so," I whispered. _

_Then what seemed like an hour passed before the doctor finally came in. He totally reminded me of my father. Strawberry blonde hair, blue eyes, and freckled skin. Except he was about fifteen years younger. _

"_All righty then," he said brightly, looking down at my chart. "From what it says here, you might be pregnant. How wonderful! Now, that might not be true. I can't tell you how many false pregnancies I see. But you appear to have all the symptoms. There is some good news and bad news, I'm afraid."_

"_And what's that?" I asked hesitantly. _

"_Well, the good news is that we can go ahead and get you tested today. But the bad news is that I won't get your results back immediately. The lab here in the building is out of commission, so we're having to send everything to a lab across town. And, needless to say, they're pretty swamped right now. So, it'll be another week before we get the results."_

"_Seriously?" I deadpanned, as I heard Gilbert sigh. _

"_I know, waiting sucks. But I can put a rush on it, if you want."_

"_That would be awesome," I smiled. _

"_Good," he said making a note in my chart. "Hopefully you'll know the results within the next day or two."_

"_Thank you, doctor."_

"_No need to thank me," he smiled. "The nurse will be in to give you the test." Then he exited the room._

"_Are you kidding me? More fucking waiting," Gilbert growled. _

"_I know, but it's better than having to wait another week. At least, this way, we might know by the weekend."_

_The next few days were anxiety filled. Every time my phone rang, my heart skipped a beat, then disappointment flooded me when I realized it wasn't the doctor. Gilbert and I really didn't talk about it much. Which was fine by me. I didn't want to discuss anything until the results came back. Then finally, on Thursday afternoon, the doctor called. I had taken the day off work cause I felt horrible that morning and it was Gilbert's usual day off. I was outside, watering the flowers and Gilbert was sitting on the porch stairs with Gus in his lap, when my phone rang. I pulled the phone out of my back pocket and my heart stopped when I didn't recognize the number. I took a deep breath and answered. _

"_Hello?"_

"_Is this Renata Callahan?" A male voice asked. _

"_Yes, it is," I said hesitantly. _

"_Hello, Renata. This is Doctor Stephens. How are you today?"_

"_I'm fine, Dr. Stephens,' I said looking over at Gilbert. His head shot up in my direction when he heard me. He stood up and was standing in front of me within a blink of an eye. "How are you?"_

"_Just fine, thank you. I'm sure you know why I'm calling?"_

"_I hope so," I chuckled nervously. _

"_Well, if you're hoping it's your results, you're in luck. I just got them and according to this, you are not pregnant."_

"_Oh. Okay," was all I could think of to say. I was expecting to be relieved, but disappointment crashed over me. _

"_I'm not sure if that's good or bad news, but either way, now you know."_

"_I'm actually not sure either," I sighed as Gilbert impatiently stared at me. _

"_I do want to schedule you for another appointment, though. Just to see if we can figure out why you've been so sick lately. How's next Friday at 1:30?"_

"_That'll work for me."_

"_I'll see you then."_

"_Thank you for calling," I said before hanging up. I just stood there for a few seconds, staring at my phone. _

"_So?" Gilbert asked. _

_I looked up at him and gave him a weak smile. "I'm not pregnant."_

"_Oh," he said looking slightly disappointed. _

"_Yeah," I sighed as I walked passed him to sit on the porch stairs. _

"_You okay?" he asked as I plopped down on the steps and held my head in my hands. I was actually sad that I wasn't pregnant. That surprised me._

"_I don't know," I said slowly. "I think I'm more let down than anything. A part of me actually wanted to be pregnant."_

"_You know what?" Gilbert asked as he sat down next to me. "Me too."_

"_Really?" I asked in a shocked tone. I would've thought he'd be relieved. We've never really had the kid talk, but he never really showed a liking for them. He didn't seem like the type of guy to settle down, get married, and have babies. _

"_Yeah," he said as he took my hand. "I liked the idea of being a Vati. The idea of you having my child, of raising our child together."_

_I loved the way he said 'our child.' _"_Gilbert," I whispered softly. _

"_Mein Gott, how lame was that?"_

"_No, not lame. Honest. I love that side of you."_

_Gilbert rolled his eyes at me. "Do you think we we're ready to be parents? As much as I liked the idea of it, the thought of it freaked me out."_

"_I think we were," I chuckled. "But at the same time, no. I mean, we haven't even been dating a year. Hell, we haven't even known each other for a full year yet. Can you imagine throwing a baby in this crazy thing we call a life?"_

"_You have a point there," he laughed as he let go of my hand and wrapped his arm around my waist. I leaned into him and rested my head on his shoulder. _

"_I think this is for the best," I sighed. "Now, let's go get a beer. The last two weeks have been stressful and I haven't had a drink since I took that damned test."_

"_You're the most awesome girlfriend ever," Gilbert laughed as he kissed my hair._

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><p>The next few weeks went by relatively uneventful. August flowed into September dully. I told my mother about the pregnancy scare and she was disappointed that I wasn't pregnant. She wanted grandchildren badly. The only thing that really stood out was the way Gilbert had been acting. He was being very secretive. Like, when his phone would ring, he'd get up and leave the room to take the call. And there were a lot of late nights. I'm talking not coming home until two or three in the morning. He even came home covered in paint a few times. When I asked him about it, he said it was a surprise. I assumed it had something to do with his 65,000 dollar surprise. And I finally found out what that was on September 24th, my 25th birthday.<p>

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><p><em>I woke the morning of my birthday at about 10:30. Ludwig had been nice enough to give me the day off. As I sat up, I realized I was alone in the bed. Was Gilbert downstairs or gone? I got out of bed and walked over to the window. His car wasn't in the driveway, but my mother's car was. 'What's she doing here?' I asked myself as I crossed the room and opened the door. I was glad I was looking down. Had I not been, I would've stepped on a bouquet of a dozen yellow roses, sitting there with a note attached. Smiling, I bent down and picked them up. <em>

"_Happy Birthday, spatzi! Sorry I'm not here, but there's a surprise waiting for you downstairs. Love you as much as I love myself, Gil."_

_Surprise waiting downstairs? Grinning widely, I rushed towards the stairs. When I was about halfway down, two laughs coming from the kitchen made me pause. I instantly recognized one as my Mom's, but the other I hadn't heard since our trip to Germany. No way? I ran down the last few steps and into the kitchen. I froze when I saw who was sitting at the table with my Mom. _

"_Aunt Gretchen?" I asked, thinking I was seeing things. _

"_Kätzchen!" she squealed, as she got to her feet, ran over to where I was standing, and threw her arms around me. "Happy Birthday!"_

"_What are you doing here?" I laughed as I hugged her back. _

"_Do you honestly think I'd miss my oldest nieces' 25__th__ birthday?" she smiled. _

"_Aw, you're the best aunt ever!" I gushed as she took me by the hand and led me over to the table. My mom stood up and gave me a kiss on the cheek before hugging me. _

"_Happy Birthday, spatzi," she chuckled as she pull away and cupped my face in her hands. "I can't believe my first born is 25 already. Gah, I feel old now."_

"_Well, at least you don't look old, Mutti," I laughed. _

"_And thank Gott for that," she sighed as she sat back down. _

"_Where's Vati?" I asked as I poured myself a cup of coffee. _

"_Oh, he's…busy," my mom answered slowly as she shared a mysterious glance with Aunt Gretchen. Were they planning something? Why did I have the feeling they were in on Gilbert's surprise? "You'll see him at lunch."_

"_Hey, where are we having dinner?" I asked, trying to get a little information. _

"_That's a surprise," she winked as I sat down. _

"_So, tell me, what's been going on with you?" Aunt Gretchen asked, changing the subject._

_Realizing I wasn't going to get any info, I launched into the story of my life since our trip to Germany back in April. I told Aunt Gretchen everything from the two-day "separation" to the pregnancy scare. _

"_Well, you had quite the eventful summer, didn't you?" she commented an hour later after I was finished. _

"_I really did," I sighed. _

"_Okay," Mutti said, looking at her watch. "It's 11:30 and the three of us, plus Matt, are meeting your Vati, the twins, and Gil for lunch in an hour. So you might want to go get ready, spatzi."_

_Forty-five minutes later, I was walking down the stairs showered, hair done, make-up on, and dressed in black slacks and an orange v-neck, long-sleeved t-shirt. Just as I was getting to the bottom stair, Mattie walked in the front door. _

"_Mattie!" I exclaimed. _

"_Happy Birthday, sweetie," he laughed as I rushed over to him and gave him a hug. _

"_Thanks," I laughed with him. Then I noticed his hands were empty. "What, no present?" It was my birthday. I could get away with asking that. _

"_Not until later tonight," he smiled sweetly. _

"_Y'all are planning something big, aren't you?" I asked cutting my eyes at him. _

"_You'll find out tonight," my mom said, walking up behind us with Aunt Gretchen. "Now c'mon. We're going to be late if we don't leave now."_

"_Man, whatever you guys are planning must be awesome if you're this hush-hush about it," I mumbled as we walked out the door. _

_We met Vati, the twins and Gilbert at my favorite Italian restaurant. The minute I walked in the door, I was bombarded with hugs, kisses and birthday wishes. We had an amazing lunch and before we could order dessert, what seemed like the entire staff of the restaurant came out, clapping and singing "Happy Birthday" to me in Italian. I was so embarrassed that I hid my face in my hands and buried my head in Gilbert's shoulder. But I must admit that the birthday tiramisu was the best I'd ever had. After lunch, everybody we had met at the restaurant, Mattie included, went on their merry little way. Gil said he'd see me at about 7:30 that evening when he picked me up for dinner. Which left me with Mutti and Aunt Gretchen. And that meant one thing: shopping! We literally spent the rest of the afternoon shopping. I found an entire outfit for 'dinner' later that night. It was a super short, black and red striped halter-top dress. It looked like something pinup girls of the 1940's would wear. I even managed to find the cutest pair of black ankle boots that went with the dress perfectly. I didn't even bother looking for accessories simply because I had a plethora of accessories at home. _

_Mutti and Aunt Gretchen dropped me off at about 6:15. I immediately ran upstairs and spent the next 30 minutes picking out just the right pair of earrings and hair accessory. Just as I was laying out my red hoop earrings and clip-on rose, I heard the front door open. _

"_Spatzi?" Gilbert called. _

"_Up here," I called back. "You're like forty-five minutes early, babe."_

"_I know," he said as he walked into our room and closed the door behind him. I looked up and saw he had that look in his eyes. You know, _that_ look. _

"_Oh," I said, being coy when I realized what he was up to. "And what would that be?" _

"_Me, of course." He quickly closed the distance between us and crashed his lips into mine._

_...  
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"_You ready yet, babe?" Gilbert whined from downstairs. _

"_Yep, just putting my boots on," I yelled back. I stood up and walked over to my full-length mirror. I looked absolutely awesome. The dress, boots, and everything else matched perfectly. Smiling, I grabbed my black clutch off the bed and headed downstairs. When I got to the top of the stairs, I had the satisfaction of watching Gilbert's eyes pop. Then I realized we matched. He was wearing a red button up shirt with the sleeves folded up to his elbows and black pants. _

"_Mein Gott, looking that damn sexy should be illegal," he said as I reached the bottom of the stairs. "Now I know what took you so long."_

"_That and I was assaulted, so that put me behind schedule," I smirked as I wrapped my arms around his neck. _

"_I had to make sure you were in a good mood for tonight."_

"_Well, I'm on cloud nine, so your mission was a success."_

"_Awesome," he smiled as he kissed my forehead. "Now, let's go."_

_As soon as we got in his car, he pulled a black blindfold out of the glove compartment. "You're not gonna like this, but it's necessary. I don't want you to see where we're going."_

"_Isn't being blindfolded once today enough?" I mumbled sourly, glaring at the blindfold. _

_Gilbert smirked that grin I loved so much. "Just humor me, please?"_

"_Fine," I sighed, snatching it out of his hand. I slipped it over my head and up over my eyes. _

"_Can you see anything?"_

"_Not a damn thing."_

"_Gut," he said and I could hear the smile in his voice. _

_Let me just say that riding in a car while blindfolded is one of the weirdest sensations ever. And a very uncomfortable one at that. After what seemed like forever, the car finally came to a stop and Gilbert turned the ignition off. _

"_Don't take that off yet," he said as he got out of the car. Next thing I know, my door is being opened and he's grabbing my hand. _

"_If I trip and fall, I'm kicking your ass," I hissed as him. _

"_I'm too awesome to let that happen," he laughed and closed my door. And in that few seconds, two things caught my attention. One, the unmistakable sound of German polka music and two, the smell of food being grilled. _

"_Gilbert, where are we?" I asked as he slowly led me by the hand. _

"_You'll see in a sec," he said pulling me a few more steps before stopping. "Okay, take it off."_

_I did as I was told and opened my eyes as I slid it up over my head. The first thing I saw was a Bavarian style building, then I read the sign. _

"_Spatzi's Biergarten," I read aloud, shocked. I looked over at Gilbert and he was grinning from ear to ear._

"_Surprise!"_

"_Surprise? Wait, no…This isn't the…" I trailed off. _

"_65,000 dollar surprise?" he finished. "Sure is."_

"_Oh. Mein. Gott."_

"_Awesome, right?"_

"_So this is what you've been doing?" I chuckled. _

"_Yeah, I've been working my ass off trying to get it done by today. Everybody pitched in over the last few days. Tomorrow night is the grand opening."_

"_I can't believe you actually did it," I whispered as I stared at the building._

"_Let me show you the inside. It looks more awesome than the outside."_

_And he was right. There were a dozen long, wooden banquet style tables with benches. Wooden beams crisscrossed the room and ceiling. The walls were painted a subdued yellow and decorated with pictures of various German landmarks. But the dominant part of the view was the massive stone fireplace in the middle of the room. As he pulled me deeper into the building, I noticed a built in shelf that held row after row of stone beer steins, opposite the self serve beer kegs. Then he paused in front of a door. _

"_Und now, the garten." He swung the door open and I was greeted by a chorus of "Surprise!" _

_I jumped back a few steps. "Oh my God!"_

_I was facing a crowd of smiling faces. Everybody was there. My friends and family, even a few faces I didn't recognize. Under a canopy of yellow and orange crepe paper streamers, there was a huge banner that said "Happy 25__th__ Birthday, Ren" and about two dozen white paper lanterns hanging around the perimeter of the gigantic square patio. After I was passed through the crowd for hugs and kisses, I stopped when I was standing in front of two tables, which were positioned perfectly under the over-sized banner. One held my birthday cake, which was obviously another one of Ludwig's masterpieces. It was a three-tier cake with yellow and orange roses cascading down the sides. It was absolutely beautiful. The second table was half food, half presents. I turned around and saw that everybody was staring at me. _

_I took a deep breath. "Thank you. Seriously. This means the world to me." Then the party began. _

_We ate, drank, and were merry. I noticed that the twins had made up and Kaleb was even talking to Alfred again. That made me happy. I ended up dancing with everybody, including Francis. Once you got to know ol' Francey-Pants, he really wasn't so bad. I eventually made it back to Gilbert's arms just as "Fix You" was starting. I guess you could say it was our song. _

"_Having fun?" he asked as we slow danced. _

"_I am having an insane amount of fun. Thank you," I said before I kissing him, which caused a half a dozen camera flashes and snickers from the crowd. _

_Then it was time to sing 'Happy Birthday' and cut the cake. The cake tasted just as awesome as it looked. We opened presents after that. I got a lot of the usual stuff, like bubble bath and jewelry. Mattie had gotten me a day at the spa and Ludwig had gotten me two tickets to an upcoming concert for one of my favorite bands. At about 11:30, my parents and Aunt Gretchen decided it was time for them to head home. I pouted as Mutti told me._

"_It's only 11:30. It's still early," I whined._

"_It's still early for you young people, but for us old fogies, it's way past out bedtime," she laughed. _

_About an hour after they left, I was glad they did. We had a repeat of St. Patrick's Day. That's right. Francis and Antonio thought it would be a good idea to strip and run around naked. I was so drunk at that point, that I fell to the ground laughing, not even caring that there were two drunken, naked fools running around. After that, the guests started to leave. Not because of the naked tomfoolery, just because it was late. Gilbert and I sat there, watching Ludwig and Mattie clean up. _

"_Best birthday party ever, babe," I laughed as I looked over at Gilbert. _

"_That was the whole point," he laughed with me. _

_I scooted closer to him. "Thanks again."_

"_You're welcome," he chuckled as he wound an arm around my waist. I leaned in a little closer and pressed my lips to his for a sloppy, drunken kiss. _

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><p><strong>Hope you liked it. Don't forget to review please. They're like motivation. The more reviews, the more I write~!<br>See y'all next time~! :D**_  
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	13. On Temporary Hiatus

Hey guys! I know you're really not supposed to do this, but I see people doing all the time, so whatevs!

I'm posting this to let you know that Memories in the Snow is temporarily on hiatus. I have a lot going on in my personal life, and I just haven't found the time to write the next chapter. I AM going to finish it, though. Just not any time soon, unfortunately.

But that doesn't mean I'm not writing at all. I've been writing a lot of reader inserts lately. I just don't think I'm going to post them here. If you would like to read them, look me up on deviantArt. My username is TheQueenofAwesome87. The link is at the bottom. Just take the spaces out.

Thanks for understanding, guys. And I really am sorry…

~CrimsonWings87

P.S. dA Link: thequeenofawesome87 . deviantart . com


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